One of the biggest concerns for families living in depopulated areas may be a lack of educational opportunities for their children that larger cities can offer.
In an effort to discourage families from moving out of those rural towns and villages, local governments are offering subsidies to take online cram school lessons.
"We are hoping to offer more possibilities for children who live in rural areas," said Raito Matsukawa, a president at FioreConnection Co., a Tokyo-based company that offers online lessons provided by students at the University of Tokyo, also known as Todai. "Students who weren't interested in going to universities started to think that is an option."