Japan's countryside empties as young women set out for Tokyo

Lopsided internal migration patterns risk aggravating nation's population swoon

More rural Japanese want to leave their parents and hometowns behind for what they see as greater autonomy in Tokyo and other big cities. © Getty Images

NAOKO YAMAUCHI, Nikkei staff writer

October 6, 2019 16:05 JST

TOKYO -- "I could have found work back at home, but the pay and benefits are better in Tokyo," said a 22-year-old woman who moved from her native Miyagi Prefecture to the capital to work as a nursery school teacher. "I also wanted to try living in Tokyo, at least for a while."

She is not alone. Among Japan's 47 prefectures, 40 had more out-migrants than in-migrants in 2018, according to a report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. 32 of those had more female than male out-migrants.