A rapidly ageing population and one of the world's lowest birth-rates are emptying Japan's countryside, with more and more young people joining in a mass exodus to the cities - AFP Photo.
AYUKAWA: The tiny Japanese community of Mishima was desperate to reverse its shrinking population, so officials came up with what they hoped would be a game-changing plan: free cows.
Anyone willing to pack up and move to the remote southern village of 379 residents would get a no-cost calf or 500,000 yen (US$4,900) in cash.
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