Local authorities are alarmed by a projection that a drop in young women in provincial areas over the next 30 years may result in major population declines in towns and cities across Japan.
The experts who produced the estimate, which was released Thursday, recommended measures to fight the population decline, but after trying various initiatives, local governments appear to lack further ideas.
Based on data from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the Japan Policy Council estimated that in 2040, 896 municipalities, or 49.8 percent of overall municipalities, will see their populations of women in their 20s and 30s decline by more than half from levels in 2010.