Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

0:00
0:00

Japan reportedly to give families 1 million yen per child to move out of Tokyo

Japan is offering families in Tokyo 1 million yen ($7,640) per child to depart to a more rural location, in a scheme aimed at halting depopulation of the countryside.  It’s the latest in a series of ill-advised incentives to stop a relentless influx to the capital, which has seen its population grow more than 16% in the last two decades despite a decline in numbers nationwide.
With an existing flat 1 million yen payment per family for moving, a couple with two children would from April 1 be eligible to receive 3 million yen in support if they leave, so long as they fulfill certain conditions. But don’t expect a mad rush to the exit: The government aims for just 10,000 people to take part in the program per year by 2027, or 0.03% of the metropolitan area’s population of 37 million.

For decades, every Japanese administration has talked of revitalizing the countryside — indeed, there may be few subjects that attract so much attention for so little gain. In recent years, in a cart-before-the-horse form of logic, many have posited that it’s a necessity in order to revitalize the economy. Japan has had a minister in charge of reviving rural areas for the better part of a decade, while one of the signature policies of current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is the “Digital Garden City,” an overwrought scheme aimed at using technologies such as drones and self-driving buses to overcome the disadvantages of living in the Japanese inaka.

But it will take more than autonomous gadgets and one-time payouts to encourage more than a handful of people in the Tokyo area to relocate. No one knows better the attraction of the city than the politicians and bureaucrats of Nagatacho, Tokyo’s center of power, who themselves promote such relocation programs but nonetheless concentrate there — having effectively rejected the the idea of building a new and artificially soulless capital like South Korea’s Sejong and the under-construction Nusantara in Indonesia. 1

As an increasing number of people are beginning to realize, through a combination of design and happy circumstance, that Japan created something incredible in Tokyo — a bustling, walkable metropolis with a world-leading public transport system, relatively unencumbered by the entrenched problems of crime, pollution, homelessness and inequality that plague so many other giant cities. It’s a towering center of culture where even city-center property is still relatively affordable (by the standards of comparable cosmopolitan capitals), built with the types of combined-purpose micro-neighborhoods that urban planners can only dream of creating. 

The advent of post-pandemic remote work might make it easier than before to live in a rural area — and did result in the first decline in Tokyo’s population in a quarter-century. But that phenomenon can’t capture the best parts of the Big City — a place where, as the 20th century anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Any day in any year, there may be a fresh encounter with a new talent, a keen mind or a gifted specialist.” The opportunities presented by living so close to many potential life-changing encounters is, consciously or not, one of the reasons people flock to places like Tokyo, even with downsides such as cramped living space. Schooling and superior job prospects attract parents and those just entering the workforce. 

Paying people to leave this network of opportunities makes no more sense than the “Furusato Sosei” (Hometown Revitalization) project of former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, who gave 100 million yen ($765,000) each to more than 3,000 municipalities of the late 1980s to build boondoggles such as the UFO Museum in Iino, Fukushima, which then had a population of just over 7,000.

As the overall population drops, more move away from the countryside

It’s certainly problematic that so much of Japan’s political, economic and cultural influence is concentrated in Tokyo. The number of firms headquartered elsewhere is dwindling, while the risk of an earthquake that could devastate the capital and paralyze the country’s nerve center is ever-present. 

What Japan needs is not just more people outside Tokyo — it needs more Tokyos. Instead of having 1,300 city, town and village administrative districts all competing for the more mobile workers who can take advantage of this scheme, Japan should instead dust off a long-dormant proposal to consolidate municipalities — and create larger, more attractive population centers with the advantages of scale of Tokyo, but with their own regional differences that would draw in people. 

In the 2000s, the administration of Junichiro Koizumi proposed combining the current 47 prefectures — a system that dates back around 150 years ago to the Meiji era, Japan’s first great opening toward western-style modernization — into around 10 much larger states, each with its own capital and greater, devolved powers. 

The idea was that the decentralization would eliminate waste between the more than 1,700 local governments (exemplified by prestige projects such as the proliferation around the countryside of tiny, loss-making airports) and enable state administrations to build their regions into more attractive locales. It would also concentrate power greater into second-tier cities such as Hiroshima, Sendai or Fukuoka, which would become not just prefectural capitals but regional hubs for tens of millions of people. 

Like labor market reform or a revision of the constitution, the doshusei system, as the idea is known, has been left on the shelf for years, stymied by opposition from the most rural areas, already the worst hit by the country’s aging. The often-cited drawbacks are a likely drop in local government services and even greater population decline as people who wouldn’t perhaps make the move to Tokyo migrate to state capitals.

But that decline is happening anyway, and local services, already too people-intensive, will inevitably follow. Kishida has called for 2023 to be the year when he takes measures to raise the country’s low birth rate “to another dimension.” One-time payments, such as Tokyo’s latest, separate scheme to pay $38 per child a month until the age of 18, might help a family’s accounts but won’t change the trend. 
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
×