Tottori, the nation's least-populated prefecture, is trying to stop young people from leaving by visiting local high schools and showing data that boast the region's low cost of living and other merits.

The Tottori Prefectural Government has created a pamphlet that says the average monthly pay for a worker in his or her 20s is ¥40,000 to ¥60,000 higher in Tokyo than in Tottori, but the average rent in Tottori is more than ¥30,000 lower than in Tokyo and costs for getting married and having children are even cheaper.

The pamphlet also states, based on government statistics, that the average lifetime savings in Tottori is ¥12.28 million, almost the same as ¥12.57 million in Tokyo. It also compares such data as the average commuting time and the number of children on waiting list at nursery schools, the areas where Tottori is at an advantage.

"We thought it would be more convincing to use statistical data to let young people become aware of Tottori's attractiveness and consider going to local universities and firms," a prefectural government official said.