The government is planning to expand a relocation support grant to include money per child in households that move to rural areas.
The Cabinet Office is planning in the next fiscal year to add several tens of thousands of yen for each child to the 1 million yen subsidy as part of efforts to promote the migration of the child-rearing generation.
The relocation program subsidy was established in fiscal 2019 with the aim of mitigating the overconcentration of people in greater Tokyo.
If a household living in or commuting to one of Tokyo's 23 wards moves outside the Tokyo metropolitan area -- which includes Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures -- the government will provide up to 1 million yen per household or 600,000 yen for a person living alone, in principle, under the program.
Applicants are required to live in the new location for at least five years.
The "Basic Policy for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy 2021" approved by the Cabinet in June states that the government will "focus on supporting those who move to local areas with their children."
The expanded grant is in line with the policy.
Seventy-one households with 123 people received the subsidy in fiscal 2019, and 290 households with 563 people in fiscal 2020.
Funding is expected to be included in the budget request for the next fiscal year.
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