<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The shrinking of Japan’s rural areas, caused partly by continuous out-migration of younger people to the major cities, is an amply discussed topic in Japanese society and popular media. Even though a certain trend of counter-urbanisation exists despite larger depopulation patterns, many of these migrants do not stay permanently and therefore cannot contribute to sustaining rural areas in the long term. Previous studies argue that considering each community’s characteristics is important in order to find possible ways to sustain rural areas and attract new residents. Therefore, this study focuses on the case of Aso City, aiming to clarify the criteria that makes migration to Aso City appealing or unappealing, and to identify the factors responsible for enabling (or complicating) the act of permanently settling there. In order to do so, the author conducted a survey in Aso City using semi-structured interviews. While the beauty of the natural surroundings, quality of life, and social connectedness are the main positive qualities of Aso City, its infrastructure, demographic development, and economic situation are assessed more negatively by its residents. Further, this study shows that the better a person’s local social connections upon arrival, the more likely they are to find a place to live and work, and stay on a long-term basis. In order to attract new residents to rural areas and support their permanent settlement, it is important to help them obtain the resources necessary for settling and assist their transition into the social structure of the community.</p></abstract>

The shrinking of Japan’s rural areas, caused partly by continuous out-migration of younger people to the major cities, is an amply discussed topic in Japanese society and popular media. Even though a certain trend of counter-urbanisation exists despite larger depopulation patterns, many of these migrants do not stay permanently and therefore cannot contribute to sustaining rural areas in the long term. Previous studies argue that considering each community’s characteristics is important in order to find possible ways to sustain rural areas and attract new residents. Therefore, this study focuses on the case of Aso City, aiming to clarify the criteria that makes migration to Aso City appealing or unappealing, and to identify the factors responsible for enabling (or complicating) the act of permanently settling there. In order to do so, the author conducted a survey in Aso City using semi-structured interviews. While the beauty of the natural surroundings, quality of life, and social connectedness are the main positive qualities of Aso City, its infrastructure, demographic development, and economic situation are assessed more negatively by its residents. Further, this study shows that the better a person’s local social connections upon arrival, the more likely they are to find a place to live and work, and stay on a long-term basis. In order to attract new residents to rural areas and support their permanent settlement, it is important to help them obtain the resources necessary for settling and assist their transition into the social structure of the community.

The Role of Internal Migration in Sustaining Rural Communities in Japan: The Case of Aso City in Kumamoto

Vienna Journal of East Asian Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The shrinking of Japan’s rural areas, caused partly by continuous out-migration of younger people to the major cities, is an amply discussed topic in Japanese...

The Role of Internal Migration in Sustaining Rural Communities in Japan: The Case of Aso City in Kumamoto

Published Online: Sep 13, 2020

Page range: 1 - 30

Received: Jul 17, 2019

Accepted: Dec 11, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/vjeas-2020-0001

Keywords
rural Japan, internal migration, qualitative research, community sustainability, social connectedness

© 2020 Antonia Miserka, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Role of Internal Migration in Sustaining Rural Communities in Japan: The Case of Aso City in Kumamoto

Published Online: Sep 13, 2020

Page range: 1 - 30

Received: Jul 17, 2019

Accepted: Dec 11, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/vjeas-2020-0001

Keywordsrural Japan, internal migration, qualitative research, community sustainability, social connectedness

© 2020 Antonia Miserka, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
rural Japan, internal migration, qualitative research, community sustainability, social connectedness