When the Nippon Foundation asked young people aged 16 to 19 nationwide about their future options, it was found that while many urban youth answered "many options," negative responses stood out among young people in rural areas. While many urban youth want to continue living in their hometowns, there are prefectures in which more than half of rural youth are negative about the idea, revealing a never-ending stream of young people leaving rural areas.
According to the Nippon Foundation, the survey was conducted online from November to December 2024 among 11 men and women aged 12 to 47 in all 16 prefectures across Japan, with the results compiled and analyzed.
For those planning to go to university, 3-7% of respondents were from the central areas of the three major metropolitan areas (the capital region, Osaka, Aichi and seven other prefectures designated by government ordinance, and Tokyo's 23 wards), while in other regions the figure was less than 8%. Regarding the options available in the city where they live, more than 9% of young people in Kanagawa, Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto answered that there were "many," but in Tottori, Wakayama and Kochi the figure was less than 7%.
In Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanagawa, Shizuoka and Osaka, over 9% of people answered that they could live a fulfilling life, while in Kochi the figure was just 57.0% and in Aomori the figure was just 61.0%. In response to the question, "Do you want to continue living in your hometown?" over 8% of people in Kanagawa and over 7% of people in Osaka, Tokyo and Aichi agreed, but in Iwate, Wakayama, Miyazaki, Gunma and Mie only 4% agreed.
As the young population in Japan rapidly declines, many people from rural areas are leaving to go to college or find work in the city and never returning. It has been pointed out that while people long for the city, there is also a sense of stagnation towards rural areas, and this reality is reflected in the numbers of this survey.
