Japan offers Tokyo families 1 million yen ($7,500) per child to move to rural areas

Japan is offering families who live in Tokyo 1 million yen ($7,500) per child to move out of the capital and into small towns and villages.

This is a significant increase from the previous offer of 300,000 yen. The deal is an attempt to revive areas with declining birthrates and aging populations, as well as reducing pressure on public services in Tokyo, which has a population of 35 million.

Nikkei Asia reported that a total of 1,184 families received relocation support in fiscal year 2021. Japan hopes to get 10,000 families to moved from Tokyo to rural areas by 2027.

In order to qualify for the program, citizens must meet at least one of three requirements: employment at a small or midsize company in the area they relocate to, continuing their pre-relocation work via the Internet, or starting a business in their new area of residence.

Japan’s population fell by 644,000 in 2020-21 and they are expected to lose an estimated 37 million people by 2065. Births in the country have also fallen to it’s lowest levels since 1899.