Tokyo's population has swollen over the years as young people from across the country have been drawn to the big city, but the tide may be turning as perceptions of work and urban life change in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
A 2019 report on internal migration by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed that among people moving to Tokyo, those age between 18 and 29 numbered around 250,000 — accounting for more than half of the 470,000 total.
For young people not originally from the metropolitan area, the most popular reason for moving to the capital was to take up a place at university or other institutes of learning, at 37 percent. This was followed by the feeling that there are more opportunities in Tokyo and a liking for urban living.