Tokyo parents say payout of US$7,500 per child isn’t enough to entice them to rural life

To slow the outflow of young people from the countryside to cities, Tokyo is giving more financial incentive for residents to relocate from the bustling metropolis to rural parts of the country. But it may not be enough to sway most Tokyo residents to make the move.

The city is offering families up to 1 million yen (US$7,500) for each child under 18, and a one-off payment of up to 3 million yen to help with the cost of moving, with no requirements on an applicant’s income. With the new incentives, Tokyo hopes to attract 10,000 families to move out of the city in 2027.

While many urban residents are drawn to a more laid-back way of life in the Japanese countryside, most say it remains something of a pipe dream for retirement.

The reality, they say, is that cities remain the centre of the nation’s education, employment and entertainment opportunities. The coronavirus pandemic has altered attitudes towards alternative ways of working at some companies but a conservative management style at most Japanese corporations means that any flexibility in working styles is likely to be short-lived.

The metropolitan government introduced the scheme in 2019, initially providing 300,000 yen per child as it sought to reduce population density in one of the most congested cities in the world and ease pressure on schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure.

Tokyo’s 2019 request for families to swap urban life for the countryside attracted a mere 71 families, according to the Nikkei newspaper. That figure rose to 290 families in 2020 and 1,184 applicants in 2021.

The 23 central wards of Tokyo are home to 9.2 million people, with a population density of more than 14,400 people per square kilometre. The 13,250 sq km of the greater Tokyo region, which includes neighbouring prefectures and cities that are also taking part in the initiative, is home to 37.27 million people.