The government has thus more than tripled the previous “resettlement bonus”, as the “Guardian” reports. The 7,264 euros are to be paid out from April. With two children, the amount could even increase to three million yen. According to Japanese media, the financial stimulus is part of an official plan of action to revitalize dying towns and villages in Japan’s hinterland.
The Guardian writes: Policymakers believe more needs to be done to depopulate the city and encourage people to start new lives in the “unfashionable” parts of the country. After all, they are severely affected by aging, declining population and the migration of younger people to big cities like Tokyo and Osaka.
1,300 participating communities
To get the bonus, families would have to move outside of the greater Tokyo area — or at least into the mountainous areas within the city limits, according to Japan Today. Around 1,300 communities are already taking part in the funding program “hoping to benefit from the changing public attitude to quality of life, which has intensified in times of pandemic and working from home,” according to the Guardian. Both the municipalities and the government would fund the program.
In addition to the place of residence, there is another condition for receiving the payment: the family must spend five years in the new home – if they return earlier, they must reimburse the full amount. In addition, a person living in the household must be in a permanent job or open a new company in the new place of residence, the Guardian continues.
Relief for Tokyo as a destination
Families with children up to the age of 18 should be addressed. These are to be “encouraged to revitalize regions and ease the pressure on space and public services in Greater Tokyo.” With around 35 million inhabitants, Tokyo is the largest metropolis in the world.
Severe population decline
A look at the numbers shows the increasing success of the program: In 2019 there were only 71 families who made use of the financial services, last year there were already 1,184 families. And: By 2027, the government hopes to be able to resettle around 10,000 people in this way.
Last but not least, Japan’s general problem with the population decline also plays a role in the resettlement program. Current statistics suggest that the population could shrink by around a third in the next 45 years – with serious consequences for what is currently the world’s third largest economy.
In addition to the “charm of country life” and good childcare facilities, the “availability of suitable men” is also advertised in the case of the village of Otari northwest of Tokyo.
