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Tag - depopulation

 
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July 24, 2026
 

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DEPOPULATION

Neyagawa Mayor Keisuke Hirose speaks to reporters in the city in Osaka Prefecture on Thursday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 9, 2026
City in Osaka Prefecture to tax vacant houses from fiscal 2029
Annual revenue from the tax is estimated to reach ?139 million, which will be used for measures against crimes and natural disasters.
Parliament passed a bill Wednesday to add six islands to the list of inhabited border islands eligible for state support aimed at promoting settlement and tourism.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 8, 2026
Japan enacts bill to boost settlement on six more border islands
The revised special measures law calls for promoting tourism on listed islands and requiring prefectural governments?to make efforts to address depopulation.
The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / Longform
Jun 29, 2026
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
Faced with the same demographic pressures confronting other towns, Yokoze is experimenting with a different approach.
Japan¡¯s population decline continues to accelerate despite some modest positive signs, highlighting the need for broader social, economic and cultural changes to raise the birth rate.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2026
A bleak prognosis for Japan¡¯s demographic future
The most recent government statistics show fertility rates hitting record lows ¡ª again.
Japan's population saw the largest decline on record in 2025, but Tokyo continued to mark a rise in the number of residents.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 29, 2026
Japan¡¯s 2025 census reflects steepest fall in population on record, data shows
Preliminary data shows the nation¡¯s headcount shrank 2.5%, the third straight decline in the nationwide survey conducted every five years.
Hiroya Masuda (center), head of the Forum for the Future We Choose, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in March.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
May 27, 2026
Deeply entrenched gender roles a key factor in Japan¡¯s low birthrate
A survey has found that many women in rural areas feel constrained by social norms, which could lead to a demographic crisis if left unaddressed.
Train cars at Toyama Chihou Tetsudou's Etchu-Funahashi Station in Toyama Prefecture
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 14, 2026
Local railway operator offers chances to stream original music
The Toyama company is pushing the project forward as part of local revitalization efforts.
The child population, down 350,000 from a year earlier, again fell to the lowest level since 1950.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 4, 2026
Japan¡¯s child population down for 45th straight year
The child population, down 350,000 from a year earlier, again fell to the lowest level since 1950.
The school's flag is returned to the city during a closing ceremony at Shimoibano Elementary School in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Feb. 14.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
May 4, 2026
Shrinking city in Miyagi Prefecture braces for uncertain future
Faced with school closures and declining births, the city of Osaki is struggling to find a way forward.
Shingo Takatsu (left) and Soichi Tojima check a crop surrounded by a fence in Oda, Shimane Prefecture.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 27, 2026
Shimane farming districts face onslaught from rising monkey population
Japanese macaques have become used to humans, stealing persimmons and daikons even with people standing nearby.
Companies in Japan are working to meet rising demand for quick meal solutions driven by the increase in dual-income households.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 21, 2026
Companies in Japan offer kids¡¯ meals to help ease burden of working households
Working parents are ready to spend more money on food that¡¯s easy to prepare so they can spend more time with their children, a developer at one food company said.
The National Police Agency has issued guidelines calling for resource sharing and more flexibility to address rising specialized and international crimes and police staffing challenges.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Apr 2, 2026
Japan¡¯s police agency to promote reform to tackle more specialized, global crime
The guidelines call for equipment and personnel to be shared across police departments and for a review of the division of roles between headquarters and stations.
Wakkanai Shinkin Bank¡¯s headquarters in Wakkanai, Hokkaido
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2026
A tiny bank runs dry of borrowers as Japan¡¯s population shrinks
Many rural banks are struggling, but for a small credit union in Hokkaido, the situation is extreme.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 23, 2026
¡®Alone in Japan¡¯ travels towns in decline and talks to the people left
While Japan¡¯s depopulation is a much discussed issue, Tom Feiling¡¯s book ¡°Alone in Japan¡± tackles the topic face to face as he travels to remote parts of Japan.
Over the past 15 years, a spate of restoration projects in Onomichi has emerged due to demographic decline, a surplus of vacant hillside homes and growing interest from visitors drawn to the town¡¯s historic character.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Mar 23, 2026
In Onomichi, urbanists redesign public life via vacant homes
Since 2019, a volunteer renovation and reconstruction project has been reimagining community and bringing new energies to a seaside town in Hiroshima Prefecture.
The last two students at Yumoto Junior High School attend their graduation ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, in March 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2026
We have to stop discussing Japan¡¯s birthrate like this
Declining Asian fertility is often framed negatively: a backlash against a crushing society. When it happens in the U.S., though, it¡¯s young women taking control over their lives.
Shogo Tsuchiya, the deputy secretary-general of the Futaba Project, provides consultations to people interested in relocating to the town of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture. Amid a housing shortage, Tsuchiya himself couldn¡¯t find a home in the town.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 16, 2026
Amid housing shortage, migration stalls in disaster-hit Fukushima towns
Approximately 19,000 houses were demolished using state funds as part of reconstruction efforts but construction of new houses has been limited.
An outlet of Aeon supermarket in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, sells a variety of goods, including over-the-counter drugs and local specialties, as well as fresh and prepared foods.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 12, 2026
Supermarkets key to evacuees¡¯ return to Fukushima communities
Creating an environment in which people can easily buy fresh foods and daily necessities is essential for attracting new residents, too.
At 85 years old, Makiko Kimura still works about four times a month at a local snack shop ¡ª not to make money in retirement but as a way to stay in touch with her community.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 7, 2026
Working overtime: ¡®Silver Jinzai¡¯ centers keep Japan¡¯s seniors employed
With about 3 in 10 adults currently over the retirement age, community agencies keeping seniors in part-time work bring both personal and economic benefits.
Former Government Pension Investment Fund President Masataka Miyazono joined Hulic last year as an adviser to focus on agricultural investments as the sector faces a rapidly aging and shrinking workforce.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2026
Former chief of $2 trillion pension fund joins developer growing tomatoes
Masataka Miyazono aims to help make Japan¡¯s agricultural sector more productive in order to boost sustainability in the country.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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