Can Ishiba’s ‘joyful Japan’ policy revitalize the nation’s rural regions?

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has made convincing people to relocate from Tokyo to other parts of Japan where residents are aging and the populations are declining a key policy goal for realizing a “joyful Japan.”

In late December, the Ishiba government released its basic thinking on what it dubs “regional revitalization 2.0.” It began by recognizing the mistakes of previous efforts to encourage such revitalization.

One of the biggest problems, the report said, was that young people and women could not find good jobs or enjoy life in rural areas.