XPost: pl.pregierz, pl.soc.polityka   
   From: user3254@newsgrouper.org.invalid   
      
   Japan aims to enlist 10 mil. in rural support registry   
   KYODO NEWS   
   KYODO NEWS   
   - Jun 08, 2025 - 09:34   
   All   
   ,   
   Japan   
      
   TOKYO - The government plans to launch a new registration system to encourage   
   people to keep strong connections with rural areas hit by depopulation, aiming   
   to sign up more than 10 million users over the next decade.   
      
   The initiative is a hallmark of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's efforts to   
   revitalize regional areas, as Japan has been unsuccessful in reversing a   
   long-term trend of overconcentration of people in Tokyo and other major cities.   
      
   The launch of the program will be included in a government strategy to be   
   finalized later this year to rev up regional growth. While details have yet to   
   be worked out, people wishing to use the system would be asked to register via   
   a smartphone app with    
   local governments of their choice, which would then issue certificates.   
   Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a meeting of a government panel   
   involving experts at his office in Tokyo on June 3, 2025. (Kyodo)   
      
   Among potential users are repeat tourists and other frequent visitors to rural   
   areas, as well as those who donate money by using the government's "furusato   
   nozei," or hometown tax system, that gives tax incentives to people who make   
   tax payments to    
   municipalities of their choice and receive local specialties in return.   
      
   Registered nonresidents would receive information on local events or services   
   but whether the program can broaden its appeal through more tangible benefits   
   remains unclear.   
      
   Ishiba's government also wants to encourage people to live and work in   
   multiple areas to facilitate the flow of city dwellers into other parts of the   
   country.   
      
   Migration to the Tokyo metropolitan area accelerated in 2024 from a year ago   
   with a net inflow of over 9,000, after a brief pause during the COVID-19   
   pandemic.   
      
   A senior official in one prefecture was critical of the latest plan, saying,   
   "It's nothing new. I don't see at all what kinds of sectors they want to   
   foster to revitalize regional economies."   
   Jun 08, 2025 KYODO NEWS   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)