Aging populations and the outflow of young people to Tokyo and other metropolises from rural parts of Japan have long made it difficult to revitalize regional economies.
But a new website for side jobs and the wider use of teleworking sparked by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus could propel hope for change.
The city of Hida in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, has put a call out for people through the website — named Furusato Kengyo — to help rice farms expand sales of locally produced premium rice.