Kyushu is DYING #distantelephant #japan #travel #japanese #history #economics

I went to go check out Japan’s dying paradise, the island of Kiushu. Perhaps the most forgotten of the main Japanese islands, and I certainly had zero expectations coming here. As it turns out, it’s the most magical place I’ve ever been. But Kiushu’s got a big problem. Its people are disappearing. The population’s been decreasing every year since 2010. Since that point, it’s lost 2 million people and is projected to lose up to 4 million more in the next 25 years. So, what is the government doing to try to alleviate this problem? Well, they’re offering a variety of programs. Some of these are aimed at making things easier on parents, introducing more flexible hours, shorter work weeks, and greater benefits. The government’s also offering up to 3 million yen for city dwellers like people in Tokyo to move to the countryside. This is in hopes of stimulating local economies. These are, of course, the backbone of Japan. They also happen to be the areas hardest hit by population decline. I certainly saw this going around Kiushu. At a lot of these rural stops, the only people getting on and off the trains were elderly. This is all such a shame because Kyushu is truly remarkable. The government is also expanding its immigration policy. This is in an effort to attract international students, skilled workers, and caregivers. Although it remains to be seen if this will make a dent in the

14 Comments

  1. poor shikoku, finally no longer the most forgotten of the four islands, but not because theyre famous, but because theyre so irrelevant everyone just forgot lmao

  2. Japan also offers foreign visas to people who will sign a contact stating they will marry a japanese woman, or at least did at one point

  3. Literally population crisis is so dumb. The solution is usually more immigration pathways provided you have a stable government.

    But politicians and citizens shout their xenophobia with little rational basis. 3rd world country populations or war torn country populations would be happy to move to Japan i bet almost garunteed. And if citizenship takes 7 years, theres plenty if time to assimilate anyways before those people vote

  4. Fukuoka City in northern Kyushu is the fastest growing city in Japan. It is popular as a livable city due to its low cost, delicious food, and compact size.The most underrated city.

  5. Most people who move from samll town is because of better job opportunities and better infrastructure like better access to hospitals and schools.

    To elevate this issue the government needs to run scheme to promote more business in this are like give tak cutouts for company to open there officie in this area and other benefits that may increase business and attract entrepreneurs to stablish there offices in these area.

    And as we have seen again and again where there is growth in business you also start seeing growth in infrastructure.