A record 7,910 people served under a Japanese government-subsidized program, in which people move from urban to nonurban areas to help revitalize local communities, in fiscal 2024, which ended Monday, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
The number of “community reactivators” increased by 710 from the preceding year.
The number of municipalities that accepted participants rose by 12 to a record 1,176.
The government aims to boost their numbers to 10,000 by fiscal 2026. Toward achieving the target, the ministry will try to get the program known to people from a wide range of age groups and work to support the members better.
More than 60% of participants were in their 20s or 30s, 20% in their 40s and 10% in their 50s.
Men accounted for 60% while 40% were women.
Hokkaido accepted 1,307 community reactivators, the largest number among Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Of 8,034 people who completed their terms between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2023, a total of 5,539 — or about 70% — continued to live in areas where they served.
Meanwhile, a record 871 workers served under a government program in which companies dispatch workers to municipalities to help regional revitalization. Of the total, 91 served under a new system allowing people to engage in regional revitalization for short hours while continuing to work for their companies.
