Don’t pay people to leave Tokyo; make more Tokyos

HOW much would you accept to leave one of the world’s greatest cities?

Japan is offering families in Tokyo one million yen (US$7,640) per child to depart to a more rural location, in a scheme aimed at halting depopulation of the countryside. It’s the latest in a series of ill-advised incentives to stop a relentless influx to the capital, which has seen its population grow more than 16 per cent in the last two decades despite a decline in numbers nationwide.

With an existing flat one million yen payment per family for moving, a couple with two children would from April 1 be eligible to receive three million yen in support if they leave, so long as they fulfil certain conditions. But don’t expect a mad rush to the exit: The government aims for just 10,000 people to take part in the programme per year by 2027 – or 0.03 per cent of the metropolitan area’s population of 37 million.