Essay On Depopulation In Japan

Of the 1718 municipalities that exist in Japan, 46% are classified as depopulated; despite occupying over half of the country’s total land, a mere 8% of the national population reside in these municipalities (Rural Independence Promotion Union). The problem of depopulation in villages is exacerbated by a shortage of worker population, resulting into a “graying” population, deteriorated agriculture and industry (Warnock). According to the 2005 census conducted by Statistics Japan, Miyoshi city, in Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island is where the tendency of depopulation is prominent. To combat extinction of municipalities like Miyoshi city, Issei Nishikawa, in “Furusato Nozei no Susume (Recommendation for Hometown Tax),” advocates a nation-wide donation system where city-dwellers receive tax reduction in return of their donations to a rural municipality. Conversely, “Japan’s Depopulation Time Bomb,” an article in The Japan Times, …show more content…
Although seemingly efficacious, these countermeasures offer temporary fix and thus insufficient. To prove long-term outcome, a plan to revitalize the “graying” economy and population of Miyoshi city must secure a stable influx of working population, which is feasible by promoting enterprises to launch satellite offices, and start-up companies to base in city. An analysis of economic history of Miyoshi city, evaluation of impacts of urban agglomeration to companies, and a scrutiny of the city’s living condition, will support the validity of this claim. The foremost cause of Miyoshi city’s depopulation crisis lies in rapid deterioration of its industry and agriculture, and consequently, a shrinking job market (Yanagiuchi). As Mamoru Yanagiuchi reports