Morihiko Hiramatsu
| Morihiko Hiramatsu | |
|---|---|
| 平松 守彦 | |
| Governor of Ōita Prefecture | |
|
In office April 1979 – April 2003 |
|
| Succeeded by | Katsusada Hirose |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
12 March 1924 Ōita City, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 21 August 2016 (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician |
Morihiko Hiramatsu (平松 守彦 Hiramatsu Morihiko?, 12 March 1924 – 21 August 2016) was a Japanese politician who was governor of Ōita Prefecture from April 1979 to April 2003. He is best known for initiating the One Village One Product movement in the prefecture, which was later followed by various other countries.
Hiramatsu was born in Ōita City and studied in local schools. He served in the Imperial Japanese Navy and later graduated in law from Tokyo University in 1949. He then joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) where he worked on various regulations being formed for the emerging Japanese electronics industry.
In 1975, he became vice-governor of Oita Prefecture and then in 1979 was elected as governor. He was re-elected on five consecutive occasions and stayed in the post until 2003.
As the governor of Oita Prefecture, Hiramatsu initiated the One Village One Product movement (OVOP) for regional development. Unique productions and specialized human resource development would take place in each village thus boosting the standard of living at the grass root levels. The movement stressed growing through community support rather than government policies and subsidies. In 1979, he launched technological industries in the area, focusing on those needing air cargo services. This boosted foreign investments in the semiconductor and electronics industry. Research and development programs were also set up at Oita University.
Other developing countries followed suit. OVOP was largely followed in rural areas of China where agriculture was prominent source of livelihood. China became the first country to adopt Hiramatsu's scheme and various provinces, especially in Jiangsu province where it accelerated economic development. More than 30 countries and regions followed suit after China. Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra also initiated a similar program, One Tambon One Product in 2001. In 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed similar project called One Model Village where Members of Parliament would adopt and develop a village of their constituency.
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