Last three schoolchildren on Nokdo beach trace South Korea's arc to demographic crisis
South Korea has become the world's fastest-graying society with the lowest birth rate anywhere in 2020, according to the World Bank.
Wisdom often fails the test of time
Semiautonomous vehicle breathes life into remote Akita village
As part of a government program, the village of Kamikoani in Akita Prefecture is benefiting from some modern public transport.
Rules on buying farmland eased in rural Hiroshima amid depopulation
Smaller plots are being made available in a bid to attract younger people from the cities to the countryside.
As COVID-19 persists, Japan looks to send in the robots
A new wave of service machines has emerged amid the coronavirus pandemic to help maintain safety and social distancing.
There is reason to hope that the global population could drop to 4 or 5 billion by 2200.
Call of the wild: The challenges of rural migration in Japan
The surge in new COVID-19 cases in urban areas has had some residents weighing opportunities in more isolated communities. But what sort of life can they expect?
The COVID-19 crisis should prompt renewed action to address the overconcentration of people and business in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Japan to launch model project for land banks to manage plots left unused
The land ministry will begin a model project for so-called land banks this fiscal year, aiming to appropriately manage land plots that are left unused and find new ways to utilize them through regional cooperation. Local governments and nonprofit organizations will act as coordinators for ...
The population fell 276,000 to 126.17 million as of Oct. 1, declining for the ninth straight year.
In Fukushima, a 'village' aims to lure young people back to disaster-hit town
In a deserted part of Fukushima Prefecture dotted with vacant lots, a sleek modern building stands out. In a workshop inside, a woman with a ponytail wearing purple protective eyeglasses carefully melts a tiny glass tube into the shape of a plum blossom. Behind the ...
IMF urges gradual consumption tax hike in rapidly graying Japan
The IMF said the tax would need to be lifted to 20 percent by 2050 to finance swelling costs due to an aging population.
