Japan plans cash incentive for women to marry and leave Tokyo
Under a program to revitalize regional economies, the government plans to offer up to 600,000 yen ($4,100) to newlywed women who move from Tokyo’s 23 wards to rural areas.
The new system, part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s “Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation,” would expand the existing “relocation support fund,” which has been in place since fiscal 2019.
The fund currently provides up to 600,000 yen through local governments to single people, regardless of gender, who move to rural areas to work or start a business after living in or commuting to Tokyo’s 23 wards.
The new system would limit eligibility to women and remove the work or business requirement in rural areas.
It would first cover transportation costs for women attending matchmaking events in rural areas.
