Japanese families will be paid handsome sums to move to the countryside. In addition to easing Tokyo’s overcrowding, this should revitalize the country’s remote regions.

From April 2023, families who leave Tokyo for the countryside will get a handsome reward: the government will give a million yen (about €7,000) to each child. The maximum amount that can be paid is €35,700. Half of the money will come from the central government and the rest from local municipalities. 

Similar relocation assistance will be available to people living in the 23 districts of Tokyo as well as suburbs in the nearby prefectures of Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa. They can move to one of the 1,800 provincial municipalities. The government hopes that about 10,000 people will take advantage of this offer each year. 

What conditions will have to be met after moving? The family must stay in the new place for at least 5 years. Also, at least one member of the family must either open a business after the move, be employed in a small or medium-sized enterprise there, or work remotely from their former place. If the conditions are not met, the amount received will have to be refunded. 

This is not the first attempt by the Japanese authorities to encourage people to move from the capital; the assistance scheme was launched three years ago. It is just that now the amount of compensation for relocation has increased by 700,000 yen (€5,000).