Opinion Tokyo drift: Japan’s new attempt at addressing its demographic crisis

The demographic crisis in Japan has been a long time in the making. Since the 1970s, the number of women choosing to have children has been in steady decline, and the population growth rate of minus 0.5 in 2021 is practically a national emergency. What adds to the problem is that while there are too few people in most parts of the country, “like butter scraped over too much bread”, metropolitan centres like Osaka and notably, Tokyo, have some of the highest rates of population density in the world. This divide is also related to age: The young, working population is moving to the cities, leaving the elderly behind. The most recent attempt to address this crisis relies on the most basic of all incentives — money.

The Japanese government is offering young families in Tokyo 1 million yen (about $7,600) per child to move to the hinterlands, or even the more hilly and less inhabited regions of the greater Tokyo area. This is a huge jump from the earlier incentive of 3,00,000 yen. Money alone, many will argue, is not enough for people to abandon the glamour, variety and freedom of city life. But is an urban, fast-paced life really a better one?

Advertisement

For many, the pecuniary incentive may just be the last little push they need. Across the world, the pandemic has led to a reordering of the nature of work, leisure and even a re-assessment of the meaning of a “good life”. For long, the people of Japan have been famous for their work(aholic) ethic. But with Covid, the pressures, pleasures and rush of the city gave way to a life at home, the desire for a break and the company of loved ones. And, as far as money goes, it’s always cheaper to live outside the realm of overpriced real estate. It is likely that the Japanese government is trying to capitalise on a ground level shift. It remains to be seen if the lure of city lights holds out, or not