EconomyJapan'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."