Tokyo Population Inflow Rises Again, Mostly Young People and Women; Govt Promotes “Dual Residency” in Regional Areas

By Maki Sanbuichi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:49 JST, February 18, 2025

Tokyo saw its net population inflow rise again last year, reaching 79,285, a level close to that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry has reported.

Advocating for “regional revitalization,” the government aims to address population overconcentration in Tokyo, but the influx trend shows no signs of stopping.

Youth account for 60%

“The net inflow into Tokyo of those in their teen years to late 20s and women continues, chiefly for education and jobs,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference held on Jan. 31, showing alarm at the report on the internal migration in 2024, derived from the basic resident registers.

Tokyo saw a total of 461,454 people moving in, while 382,169 moved out. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the net population inflow to the capital slowed, reaching a record low of 5,433 in 2021.

But it is once again on the rise, nearing the 82,982 posted in 2019, just before the spread of COVID-19. Last year, young people aged 15 to 29 accounted for 57% of the total number of people who moved in.

Besides Tokyo, six other prefectures posted a net population inflow, namely Kanagawa, Saitama, Osaka, Chiba, Fukuoka and Yamanashi, while the remaining 40 prefectures experienced net population outflow. Hiroshima had the most at 10,711.

The government aims to balance population inflow and outflow in the greater Tokyo area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba prefectures) by fiscal 2027 by encouraging movement to regional areas. However, in 2024 the area saw a net inflow of 135,843.

Eventual rural migration

With no increase in emigration to rural areas, the government is focusing on the “relationship population” rise, regarded as those who have ongoing ties with rural communities.

The government has been promoting “dual residency” trials, where people live in the city during weekdays and in the countryside on weekends, therefore encouraging eventually settling in regional areas in the future.

An Yanagihara, 28, often works remotely at Fujimi Mori-No-Office in Fujimi-machi, Nagano Prefecture. She works for an IT firm in Tokyo, where she spends only around a third of her working days each month.

She has been living in Fujimi-machi, located at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains, for six months, with her certificate of residence having transferred to the town.

She receives a monthly subsidy of ¥83,000 from the town. “Considering the cost of living in two places—Tokyo and Nagano—and transportation expenses for traveling between Tokyo and Nagano, I would not have been able to do so without the town’s support system. There is an appeal in being able to work close to nature,” she said.

The town began its assistance program in fiscal 2016. Thanks to the program, it has enjoyed net population inflow since fiscal 2019.

At last year’s ordinary Diet session, the government developed laws that would facilitate local municipalities receiving aid toward improving housing and work environments if they establish plans to promote the “dual residency” initiative.

A public-private partnership organization was also launched in October to share leading examples from around the country.

Corporate relocation rebound

Many local governments are focused on attracting companies’ headquarters and factories to their areas.

This fiscal year, the Gunma prefectural government set up a special team to assist firms looking to relocate their headquarters to or build plants in the prefecture.

Following the prefectural government’s strengthened PR efforts in recent years, major tire manufacturer Nihon Michelin Tire Co. moved its headquarters from Tokyo to Ota, Gunma Prefecture, in 2023, with 350 current employees.

Tsumura & Co., a manufacturer of herbal medicine, is scheduled to set up a new plant in Meiwa-machi, Gunma Prefecture, and begin operations in fiscal 2029.

“The low number of natural disasters and easy access to the Tokyo metropolitan area via a convenient transportation system are our strong points,” said a prefectural government official, expressing that the prefecture has enjoyed strong responses to its efforts.

However, there has been a rebound in corporate relocation as well.

According to Teikoku Databank, Ltd., the number of companies relocating from the greater Tokyo area to regional areas reached 347 in 2023, up 3.6% from a year earlier, or the second highest level since 1990. This was a result of more companies downsizing their Tokyo headquarters during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, last year saw the number of companies moving into the greater Tokyo area possibly exceeding those moving out, showing net inflow to the area for the first time in four years, the research firm said.

In its survey report, Teikoku observed that “the advantages of having headquarters in the Tokyo metropolitan area are being reconsidered, such as building relationships with business partners and boosting personnel recruitment.”