As the population of Spain's rural regions continues to fall, raising fears that smaller towns and villages may eventually vanish, public and private actors are experimenting with ways to reverse the demographic decline. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/12/world/society/spain-rural-regions-revitalize/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #society #spain #depopulation #tourism #rurallife #cities
The Kobe Municipal Government is mulling a nonstatutory municipal tax on owners of vacant or underused units in high-rise condominiums in central districts of the city. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/10/japan/kobe-eyes-tax-on-unused-condo-rooms/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #kobe #taxes #realestate #depopulation
East Japan Railway has purchased from Goldman Sachs Group several floors in an office building connected directly to Tokyo Station, paying more than ¥50 billion. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/09/companies/goldman-office-jr-east/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #jreast #goldmansachs #rail #tokyo #realestate #depopulation
Japan is considering next steps for the new "furusato jūmin" (hometown resident) registration system to encourage people to get more involved in areas where they don't live. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/07/japan/japan-hometown-resident-system-regional-revitalization/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #rurallife #furusatonozei #depopulation
Japan’s financial regulator is urging regional banks to help local businesses secure equity funding necessary for further growth, as part of the country’s broader drive to revitalize rural economies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/03/companies/rural-banks-help-companies-get-equity-funding/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #fsa #regionalbanks #investments #depopulation
The government has announced a system to support a new regional cooperation framework across prefectures, with grants and subsidies to help local governments and businesses pursue regional development initiatives. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/02/japan/politics/cross-prefectural-cooperation-support/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shigeruishiba #depopulation #tourism #localgovernment
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said he expects a tight labor market to keep upward pressure on wages, reflecting his view that stable inflation is set to take hold. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/08/24/economy/boj-tight-market-wages/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #kazuoueda #boj #japaneseeconomy #wages #jobs #inflation #foreignworkers #depopulation
As the population concentration in Tokyo is accelerating, the government has begun to take a different approach to help stem depopulation in regional areas and rev up local economies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/18/japan/post-war-tokyo-overconcentration/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #tokyo #population #depopulation #rurallife #cities #decentralization
The number of Japanese nationals in Japan fell by around 910,000 during 2024, to 120.7 million, while the population of foreign residents rose 10.65%, to 3.68 million. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/07/japan/society/japan-population-foreign-residents/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #population #depopulation #expats #foreignworkers
The proportion of foreign residents in Japan could surpass 10% of the population as early as 2040, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Wednesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/31/japan/society/japans-foreign-population-10-2040/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #keisukesuzuki #justiceministry #foreignworkers #population #depopulation
A series of recent scandals has brought to light deeply entrenched and problematic business practices within the nonlife insurance industry in Japan, creating pressure to overhaul the long-standing business model. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/07/22/companies/nonlife-insurers-business-model/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #insurance #bigmotor #depopulation #tokiomarine #msad
In the face of rural decline, Yukio Iokibe’s documentary is a quiet tribute to how democracy endures — through personal conviction and human connection. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/20/film/noto-democracy-documentary/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #documentary #yukioiokibe #ishikawa #earthquakes #notopeninsula #depopulation
Work to consolidate public facilities is gaining momentum amid a growing need to make more efficient use of public spaces like city halls and libraries as Japan's population continues to fall. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/16/japan/consolidating-public-facilities/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #localgovernment #depopulation #disasterpreparedness
Japan has set up an administrative body aimed at easing citizens' concerns over the rapid rise in the number of foreign nationals living in the country, with the issue emerging as a key one in Sunday's election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/15/japan/politics/foreigner-concerns-administrative-body/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #depopulation #expats #tourism #shigeruishiba #2025upperhouseelection
Residents of the village of Kuma in Kumamoto Prefecture on Friday mourned the victims of deadly torrential rains that struck the prefecture five years ago. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/04/japan/kumamoto-floods-fve-years-on/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #kumamoto #floods #depopulation
In Fukushima Prefecture's rural regions, more and more medical facilities have stopped handling childbirths, leaving municipalities worried about an acceleration of population decline. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/23/japan/society/fukushima-childbirth-facilities-decrease/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #pregnancy #hospitals #children #rurallife #depopulation #fukushima