Business Feb 1, 2021
Push to go electric could wipe out Japan’s cheap microcars
by Shiho Takezawa and Tsuyoshi Inajima
Electrification can add ¥1 million to ¥2 million to the price tag of a smaller kei vehicle, potentially doubling its price.
Issues Nov 28, 2020
Remote Nagasaki island 'getting energy' from Vietnamese students
An island suffering from the effects of depopulation has offered Vietnamese students a discount to study Japanese there.
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Nov 23, 2020
Cheap, spacious, crowd-free: Rural Japan is having a moment with the foreign community
by Jessop Petroski
Laura Blackhall took a risk purchasing an empty house in the Ibaraki countryside. Amid and following a pandemic, though, it's a choice that just might pay off.
Business Nov 20, 2020
The government hopes its new program will contribute to revitalizing regional economies by expanding their exports.
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Nov 16, 2020
An outsider's look at the problems plaguing rural Japan
by Eric Margolis
When new people come to town they bring a flurry of new ideas with them. In the small town of Nakatsugawa, this has meant an exciting cultural exchange.
Business Nov 4, 2020
As Japan moves to revive its countryside, pandemic drives many out of cities
by Tetsushi Kajimoto
In September, 30,644 people moved out of Tokyo, up 12.5% year-on-year, while the number moving in fell 11.7% to 27,006, data showed.
Business Sep 26, 2020
The government is expected to earmark ¥15 billion for the subsidy in their budget requests for the fiscal year from April.
National | Regional Voices: Hiroshima Sep 25, 2020
Rules on buying farmland eased in rural Hiroshima amid depopulation
Smaller plots are being made available in a bid to attract younger people from the cities to the countryside.
National Jul 26, 2020
Tokyoites leaving bustle behind for space and nature as pandemic proves catalyst for change
by Su Xincheng
As companies close offices in central Tokyo or encourage employees to work from home to stay safe from the coronavirus pandemic, young people are relocating to the suburbs where rents are cheaper, space less at a premium and nature nearer the doorstep. With Japanese work ...
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jul 25, 2020
Go To Travel campaign stirs anxieties outside Tokyo
by Michael Hoffman
in some areas, out-of-prefecture motorists have been pelted with rocks and intimidated by reckless driving.
National / Social Issues Jul 18, 2020
Call of the wild: The challenges of rural migration in Japan
by Kathryn Wortley
The surge in new COVID-19 cases in urban areas has had some residents weighing opportunities in more isolated communities. But what sort of life can they expect?
National Jul 12, 2020
Japan urges urbanites to tour country, sparking fear of virus's spread in countryside
by Sophie Jackman and Marika Katanuma
A central government campaign to spur domestic tourism has drawn both enthusiasm and ire, with some social media users telling urbanites to stay away from rural areas.