TOKYO (ANN/YOMIURI SHIMBUN) — The Japanese government announced on Monday that the country’s trends of population decline and excessive concentration in Tokyo have remained unchanged over the past decade
The report was made at the day’s meeting of the Council for the Realisation of the Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation, 10 years after efforts by state and local governments to revitalise regional economies went into full swing.
Also in the report, the central government called for the creation of regions attractive to women and young people as well as countermeasures against the falling birthrate. It emphasised population increases in several municipalities, thanks to the promotion of relocations and the creation of jobs.
While appreciating increased interest among the public in moving to rural areas, the government cited growth in Tokyo’s net population inflow over the 10 years and stressed the need to take seriously the severe situation of rural areas.
It pledged to tackle the overconcentration in Tokyo through regional development from the perspectives of women and young generations, promote measures against the declining birthrate, support local governments and use digital technologies.
In 2014, the government compiled a comprehensive strategy for regional revitalisation after receiving a private-sector report saying that about half of Japan’s municipalities might disappear in the future. Local governments have also developed and been working on their own strategies to address population declines.
