Why Japan is luring single women with money to move out of Tokyo

The population of Japan is already declining.

Amid this serious crisis, more women than men are moving into Tokyo, the nation’s capital.

To curb this demographic crisis, the government will soon introduce an initiative to support single women who are ready to relocate to rural areas while looking for a partner.

Let’s take a closer look.

Financial aid to single women in Tokyo

As part of the initiative, the government will cover travel expenses for women who travel from Tokyo to rural areas to attend matchmaking events and provide additional financial incentives for those who relocate, according to The Japan Times.

The report claimed that specifics like the sums to be paid will be taken into account when compiling the budget.

The new initiative would expand an already-existing subsidy scheme, offering women who move from Tokyo’s 23 wards to rural areas up to $7,000.

The move is expected to buck the trend of young women staying in Tokyo to pursue jobs or further their education, according to the government.

More women than men

Tokyo has seen a greater influx of women than men in recent times.

A government official told the Japan Times that women from rural areas who moved to Tokyo for work or study typically make the capital their permanent home instead of going back to their hometowns or other areas.

The number of single women and men in rural areas has differed as a result of this tendency.

In 46 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, excluding Tokyo, there were an estimated 9.1 million single women between the ages of 15 and 49, according to data from the 2020 national census.

This is roughly 20 per cent lower than the 11.1 million single men in the same age group, with the gap reaching as high as 30 per cent in some areas.

The decreasing number of younger women in rural areas poses a significant challenge to preventing depopulation in the future.

Realising this, the government has decided that it is critical to offer focused support to unmarried women who wish to move to a rural area.

The dwindling population of Japan

Japan is confronting a severe demographic crisis, with the birth rate reaching a record low last year.

The country of 123.9 million people recorded only 727,277 births in 2023, according to government data by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The fertility rate, defined as the total number of times a woman gives birth in her lifetime, fell from 1.26 to 1.20. For a population to remain stable, it needs a fertility rate of 2.1.

Earlier this year, the government said that the population of children under the age of 15 was 14 million as of April 2024, 3.3 lakh less than the previous year. There were 7.2 million boys and 6.8 million girls born this year.

The population of children has been falling in Japan for the forty-third straight year since 1982.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called the issue the “gravest crisis our country faces.”

The downward trend has accelerated in recent years, with the number of deaths exceeding the number of births each year and causing the total population to shrink, with far-reaching consequences for Japan’s workforce, economy, welfare system and social fabric.

And Japan is not having much luck with marriage either: the number of marriages fell by 30,000 last year, while the number of divorces rose.

Population to fall further

Japan’s already dwindling population in 2070 is expected to fall to 87 million, shrinking 30 per cent from its level in 2020.

Citing an estimate by the National Institute of Population and Security Research, the local Kyodo news agency reported that foreign residents, including students and workers residing in Japan for over three months, may comprise 10.8 per cent of the population at 9.39 million in 2070, expanding from 2.2 per cent in 2020.

The country’s population aged 65 or above is projected to hit 33.67 million in 2070 after peaking at 39.53 million in 2043. In 2070, they will comprise 38.7 per cent of the population, resulting in a high rise in social security costs, the report said.

People aged 15-64, the working-age population that supports the country’s social security systems by paying premiums, are forecast to decline sharply to 45.35 million in 2070 from 75.09 million in 2020.

Actions taken

Still, the government is rushing to soften the impact.

It has launched initiatives such as expanding childcare facilities, offering housing subsidies to parents and, in some cities, even paying couples to have children.

It also introduced a dating app in Tokyo that uses AI to match singles.

“If there are many individuals interested in marriage but unable to find a partner, we want to provide support,” a Tokyo official told The Asahi Shimbun.

“We hope that this app, with its government association, will provide a sense of security and encourage those who have been hesitant to use traditional apps to take the first step in their search for a partner.”

With inputs from agencies