Japan will offer a bonus of 7,300 euros per child to families who volunteer to leave Tokyo to live in another city. The offer will officially launch in the spring of 2023, reports Le Figaro.
This is yet another attempt by the Japanese government to reduce the population of its capital. In 2019, a program with similar objectives was launched. The State then offered a little more than 2,100 euros per child when the family decided to move. But this first initiative only convinced 2,381 households to leave the crowded metropolis.
An irreplaceable quality of life
The immobility of the Japanese is understandable. Greater Tokyo offers all the advantages of a big city, without the disadvantages: pollution is low, as is dirt and the crime rate. Public transport is plentiful and efficient and makes life easier for residents.
In addition, teleworking is still very little used in Japan, and Tokyo has the largest economic activity in the country with a large concentration of companies. Little chance, therefore, that the bonus will seduce Tokyoites. The will to rebalance is understood by the citizens but they are not ready to leave the capital.
The same is also true for public administrations in Japan. In 1992, the latter had to move their premises to several other cities to encourage their employees to follow them and revitalize other cities. Thirty years later, only the small Agency for Cultural Affairs has left Tokyo to settle in Kyotonote Le Figaro.