According to reports, Japan is offering to pay families 1 million Yen per child to leave the city of Tokyo this year to fight the rapid depopulation in the country’s rural areas. According to this new proposal, a household with two children could receive 3 million Yen in support if they leave the Capital. The government hopes that 10,000 people will move from Tokyo to rural areas in Japan by 2027 under this new scheme, which began in 2019. In 2022, the government supported 1,184 families, while 290 in 2020 and 71 in 2019.
Time magazine reported that support for children comes over and above the flat 1 million Yen that families can already get for moving. Families eligible to apply for the support funds are households that have lived in the central Tokyo metropolitan area for five years or more. The central government, along with the local municipalities, are splitting the cost of the funds. Additional support will also be provided if the families want to start a business in the rural area.
With more youth moving away to cities for greater opportunities, Japan’s rural areas have seen a rapid decline in population in the past years. Officials hope the attractive amount will encourage families to revitalize these regions and ease pressure on space and public services in greater Tokyo.
