Nothing represents the bold urban vision of postwar Japan better than the concept of the "New Town." In line with planned communities in the West, several were designed and constructed during the 1960s and 70s, mostly in the suburbs of Tokyo and Osaka. The most famous is probably Tama New Town in western Tokyo, which was fairly successful in attracting young families to its mix of public apartments and housing developments, though much less successful in attracting businesses. Part of the bold vision was that residents of New Towns wouldn't have to commute all the way to the central cities, but companies proved reluctant to relocate to the suburbs. Consequently, the new communities didn't grow. Tama New Town is presently inhabited almost completely by the elderly, meaning the same people who moved in when the project was new.
The plans for Chiba New Town were finished in 1966, and covered parts of three cities in northern Chiba Prefecture: Shiroi, Inzai and Funabashi. The plan presumed a population of 340,000 and a new private train line that would serve these residents. For whatever reason, the people didn't show, at least not in the numbers the planners envisioned, though the commuter line was built, and as a result of the lack of patronage the Hokuso Railway is the most expensive train line in Japan. From Chiba New Town Chuo to the next station, Inzai Makinohara, a ticket costs ¥280 for a distance that takes about four minutes to cover.
As with most New Towns, Chiba's was developed by the prefectural government with help from the central government. In 1978, the central government's housing corporation, Toshi Kiban Seibi Kodan, usually referred to as simply Kodan, became involved in Chiba New Town, developing whole neighborhoods and constructing residences to rent and sell. Kodan would become semi-private in 2004 during the rush to privatize government organs promoted by the administration of Junichiro Koizumi. It changed its name to the more colorful, commercial-sounding Urban Renaissance Agency (though, more accurately, it is a corporation). The change was cosmetically important since Kodan had been bleeding money for decades, but because the agency and its dependent organs had grown so big, it was difficult to make it completely private. Kodan's whole existence was based on momentum, which is why, despite the fiscal difficulties that perpetually surrounded Chiba New Town, UR was instrumental in opening a new station in 2000 on the Hokuso Line called Inba Nihon Idai, which was centered around the Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokuso Hospital, established in 1994. The hospital is three minutes from the station by shuttle bus, 10 minutes on foot.