In an effort to revive rural areas and increase the declining birth rate, Japan is offering to pay families to relocate from its overcrowded capital.
According to a central government spokesperson, starting in April 2023, families in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including those headed by single parents, will be qualified to receive 1 million yen ($7,700) per child if they relocate to less populated areas across the country.
Children under the age of 18 or dependents beyond the age of 18 who are enrolled in high school are eligible for these incentives.
For many years, individuals from all around Japan have moved to the country’s urban centers in search of employment. Tokyo has almost 37 million residents, making it the most populated city in the country.
According to government records published in 2021, before the Covid outbreak, the number of individuals entering into Tokyo outnumbered those leaving the city by up to 80,000 each year.
However, as a result of this migration trend and Japan’s increasingly aging population, rural communities are losing occupants and there are millions of vacant dwellings.
A national census shows that more than half of the country’s municipalities, excluding Tokyo’s 23 wards, are expected be classified as underpopulated areas in 2022.
In contrast, space has quickly become scarce and costs have risen sharply in major cities. Tokyo consistently ranks among the most expensive cities in the world to live in, ranking 5th globally in 2022.
According to analysts, this issue, that is the emigration of young people from rural areas to densely populated cities is a major contributor to Japan’s greater demographic dilemma. Long life expectancy and low birth rates have been problems for the nation, and recent years have seen more deaths than births.
Experts assert that there are a number of reasons why fewer couples are having children, which include the high expense of living, a shortage of available space, and a lack of childcare assistance in cities. Urban couples are also often far from extended family who could help provide support.
The Japan government initiated a campaign in 2019 to draw people to rural areas to address these problems.
In accordance with this program, those who have resided and worked in the Tokyo metropolitan region for at least five years may be eligible to receive 600,000 yen (US$4,500) if they relocate to rural areas. A higher incentive of Zone million yen ($7,700) will be given to couples.
The government granted 300,000 yen (US$2,300) per child to single parents or couples with children last year in exchange for their relocation.
Though the numbers are still low, there are some signs that the program is gaining popularity. Only 71 homes participated in the first year of the program, compared to 1,184 households in 2021.
The Japanese government in recent years has also taken additional steps to counteract the population decline, including enacting laws to boost child care services and improving housing facilities for families with children. Some rural areas have even begun to pay local couples to have children.
