A transportation white paper called Tuesday for upgrading infrastructure to revitalize regional economies and secure livelihoods as the recession deepens.
The annual Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry paper said 64 percent of 4,000 people aged 20 or older aired concerns about their futures an online survey in November and December.
Based on the findings, the ministry stressed that it is necessary to upgrade transport systems and road networks and promote a barrier-free society to spur the stagnant economy.
Improving accessibility will be key to attracting corporate investment and creating job opportunities in regional economies, the ministry said.
The paper called for financial support to set up new train stations and put more trains into service on branch lines, as well as to maintain local bus services that are in the red.
In the poll, those who complained about inconvenient public transportation in their areas stood at 53 percent in rural regions, compared with 26 percent in the metropolitan areas around Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.
'Green New Deal'
The government officially unveiled ambitious plans Monday to bolster economic growth by promoting measures to curb global warming and address other environmental issues.
The "Green New Deal" policy is designed to expand Japan's environment market 1.7-fold from its size in 2006 to ¥120 trillion by 2020, according to the policy.
The policy also aims to double employment in the market to 2.8 million in the same period.