TOKYO: The Japanese government’s plan to offer city-based women up to 600,000 yen (US$4,200) as an incentive to marry rural men was suspended after strong nationwide opposition.
Official data showed that last year Japan experienced its lowest number of marriages in 90 years, with fewer than 500,000 couples tying the knot.
In June, Japan’s health ministry described the nation’s birth rate as “critical” as it hit a record low for the eighth consecutive year.
Japanese scholar Kenichi Ohmae has described the country as becoming a “low-desire society”.
He noted that Japan’s young people are increasingly reluctant to take risks or incur debts, resulting in a diminished desire for marriage, having children, and even engaging in sexual relationships.
Meanwhile, imbalances in regional development are intensifying the crisis in the country’s societal progress.
According to Japan’s 2023 Population Migration Report, Tokyo had about 68,000 more people coming into the capital than moving away, and more than half were women.
Increasingly, young women are moving to Tokyo seeking an improvement in higher education and job opportunities.
This migration has led to labour shortages and a large number of empty houses in rural areas. Many schools and hospitals have had to close because of the population deficit.
As Tokyo faces increasing overcrowding, rural communities are experiencing significant population decline, with a dwindling number of locally born babies. Many young people are moving to Tokyo in search of better opportunities.
In response, the government aims to achieve a more balanced distribution of population and economic development across regions.
Asahi News reported that a recent initiative offers incentives of up to 600,000 yen to women who leave Tokyo to marry men in rural areas.
Single women living or working in the 23 municipalities of Tokyo would be eligible for the subsidy.
This initiative was viewed as an expansion of projects aimed at boosting rural economies. In 2019, Japan also offered bonuses to Tokyo residents who relocated to rural areas to start businesses.
The government would also reportedly cover the travel costs for women attending matchmaking events in rural areas.
The initiative immediately sparked outrage across Japan.
One online observer commented on YouTube: “This is disheartening. These girls left backward rural areas and came to Tokyo desperate to live a better life. Now the government wants them to return.”
Another person echoed that view, saying: “This is a misuse of taxpayers’ money. A woman’s future cannot be measured in monetary terms.”
As the plan was met with nationwide disapproval, Japan announced on August 30 that it would shelve it.
In China, incentive strategies for marriage and childbirth are also common.
In March, a company in Guangdong, southern China offered employees 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) to marry, and a further 10,000 yuan for each child born.
In August last year, a county in eastern China offered couples 1,000 yuan if the bride is aged 25 or younger to promote “age-appropriate marriage and childbearing”.
These policies were well received by many because they align with traditional Chinese values that emphasise family continuity and filial duty. - South China Morning Post
