Mallika Dureja
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According to reports, Japan will pay families 1 million Yen per child to leave Tokyo this year in an effort to slow the country’s rural areas’ rapid population decline. A family with two kids who moves out of the Tokyo area could get 3 million Yen in support under this new plan.
Under this programme, which started in 2019, the government anticipates that 10,000 individuals will have relocated from Tokyo to rural areas by the year 2027. 1184 families received assistance from the government in 2018, compared to 290 in 2020 and 71 in 2019.
According to Time magazine, families can already receive a flat 1 million Yen as compensation for moving in addition to the support for kids. Households that have lived in the central Tokyo metropolitan area for five years are eligible to apply for the support funds.
The cost of the funds is being split between the national government and regional councils. If the families want to open a business in the community, additional support would also be given in that case.
It’s not as simple as it sounds to get the one million Yen to move to a picture-perfect rural town, though. Families who wish to receive assistance must have lived in their new residences for at least five years and have at least one member employed or intending to start a new business. The money must be returned if the tenant vacates the property before five years have passed.
The advantages of Japan’s towns and villages are frequently emphasised in an effort to draw tourists. Having “eligible men” available, as in the case of Otari village, and having simple access to childcare are two of them.
Tokyo is so crowded the government is paying families to leave https://t.co/4YdFX6894N pic.twitter.com/IaKYoI4uWX
— CTV News (@CTVNews) January 4, 2023
Japan’s rural areas have experienced a rapid decline in population in recent years as more young people leave for opportunities in cities. According to The Guardian, officials are hoping that the alluring sum will entice families to revitalise these areas and relieve pressure on space and public services in greater Tokyo.
This is the most recent effort to boost the local economies in the face of yet another decline in Japan’s population and birthrate. The total number of births in 2021 was 811,604, which was the fewest since records began to be kept in 1899.
