Can Nagasaki pull out of the spiral?

[Mike Oxlong]

[Taro Toporific]

[AssKissinger]

A dozen houses have been left to rot after their owners have died. Some are piles of timber; in others, katsura trees grow through the roofs.

That's great. Remove the crap and plant gardens or let it grow wild. That's exactly what Japan needs more of: more plants and way less people.

[Iraira]

They pretty much had the same report on the NHK news two or three nights ago. Some German thinktank group was gathering info about Nagasaki's slow ghost townification as Germany is also about to experience negative population growth. Guess they want to see what Japan does to stave off the contraction to extinction and either mimic it or do the opposite depending on the results.

[james]

the town i live in has gone from a peak population of around 14,000 people to 9,000 when i moved here 12 years ago to barely over 7,000 now. it's a palpable decline. old people are *everywhere* but we still haven't hit a mortality peak but it's coming. the ratio of obituary to birth notices is easily 5:1 most months.

it's a story repeated in rural japan all over the country - a death spiral as the vast majority of youth are forced to migrate after high school for post secondary and gainful employment. unless you plan on farming, taking care of the ballooning population of elderly or provide an essential service / niche market, options are limited. that said, it's a nice place to live but many of these towns will be all but off the map by the time i have grandkids (barring my kids doing anything prematurely)

[Typhoon]

Japan is woefully over-centralized with both power and business too concentrated in Tokyo.

As long as this is the situation towns and cities with the possible exception of Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya will continue to decline.

[Mulboyne]

Japan is woefully over-centralized with both power and business too concentrated in Tokyo.

Decentralization was recommended as long ago as the Maekawa report in 1986. There has never been the political will to implement it. Indeed, the mood shifted over 10 years ago to more centralization. There is now some concern that this has left underutilized regional assets which is one reason you have the current concern about foreign capital buying real estate, fisheries and waterways in depopulating areas.