Why does the government only charge women for “migrant marriages” to rural areas 600，000 yen？ Will the measures being considered by the government to curb Tokyo’s overconcentration be effective？
The government is considering a policy to provide 600,000 yen to women who marry foreigners. If single women who live or commute to work in Tokyo’s 23 wards move to the countryside to get married, financial support will be provided through the local government. It seems that the aim is to put a stop to the concentration of population in Tokyo, but will it be effective? Why limit it to women? (Yamada Yuichiro, Kihara Ikuko) The subsidy for women is being considered as part of the “Digital Garden City-State Initiative” being promoted by the Kishida Fumio administration. ◆ “Women move to the Tokyo area, unmarried men move to the countryside” Based on this initiative, subsidies for people moving to rural areas have already been provided since fiscal 2019. People who live in Tokyo’s 23 wards or commute to one of the 23 wards from the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba prefectures) can receive up to 600,000 yen (for single people) in support of both men and women when they move to a rural area to start a business or find employment. As of last year, approximately 16,000 people had been paid out. This time, the government plans to expand this subsidy to include single women who move to the country after getting married, even if they do not start a business or find employment. (Omitted) According to the 2023 population movement report, Tokyo will have approximately 68,000 more in-migrants than out-migrants. More than half of them, about 37,000, are women. ◆ Matchmaking support for people wanting to move to rural areas is a struggle (omitted) (omitted) ◆ The number of migrant marriages that have been realized by the Matchmaking Support Association, which has 1,300 registered members, is… The Japan Matchmaking Support Association is… (omitted). About 1,300 people who want to get married are registered with the association. However, only two couples got married and moved to the countryside. (Omitted) ◆The wage gap and occupational gap between men and women still remain Tokiko Koso, deputy director of the nonprofit organization Fathering Japan and a parenting advisor, said, “The gap is just too huge. “I can’t believe why such a measure has come up,” he said in shock. First of all, the amount. Moving costs are on the rise due to rising prices and the “2024 problem” which will see a shortage of truck drivers due to stricter regulations on overtime work. “It may help those who have already decided to relocate, but the amount will be consumed by moving expenses and furniture purchases. “I can’t imagine there are any women who would willingly move here just because they could be given 600,000 yen,” he said bluntly. He then explains: “Young women are moving from rural areas to Tokyo because there are few places where they can work and build their careers with peace of mind, and the wage and occupational disparities between men and women still remain clear,” he said. “Compared to urban areas, rural areas tend to be more conservative. “We still hear stories of men preparing meals or taking their children to and from daycare being looked at as if to ask, ’What is your wife doing?’ and being casually asked, ’Has the baby not been born yet?’” he said, adding, “That kind of mental stress cannot be made up for with 600,000 yen.” Questions raised about the stance of “the state relocating its citizens” Hideaki Uemura, professor emeritus of international human rights law at Keisen University, commented on the seriousness of a state trying to relocate certain citizens in relation to the details of the aid funds being considered. “Freedom of movement is a fundamental human right. Historically there have been many instances of this being violated. During the Meiji period, many Wajin (non-Ainu Japanese) were sent to Hokkaido as part of national policy, and the Ainu people became victims of further forced relocation. “It is actually quite a big deal for a nation to get involved in the movement of people.” “The state is calmly sticking its hand in the movement of people by providing them with some kind of food, without any fundamental discussion. It’s a very pre-modern story.” Questions have also been raised as to why only women are included. Muneshige Matsuoka, representative director of “fair,” a support group for sexual minorities, frankly stated, “It felt like it was objectifying women.” “It focuses on single women, affirms only the family model where a man and a woman get married and give birth and raise children, and can be seen as excluding minorities.” ◆ “It only imposes a certain family model” (omitted) ◆ “For regional revitalization to be serious, we need a place to accommodate highly skilled human resources” On top of that, “If we are serious about regional revitalization, we should use the money to support small and medium-sized enterprises and local governments that take measures to make regional areas a place to accommodate highly skilled human resources, such as improving the employment environment for women. “If there is an attractive environment where people can continue working, people will return, regardless of gender, and regional areas will be revitalized.” He then made some harsh remarks about the country’s stance. “I get the impression that this is an optimistic outlook, along the lines of, ’I hope young couples will come.’ “We cannot expect a reversal of Tokyo’s concentration of power.” ◆Desk memo (abbreviated) Tokyo Shimbun, August 30, 2024, 12:00 ※Related thread “Migration marriage” women to receive 600,000 yen extra, but correction of concentration of power ★2 [Capital Region Tiger ★].
>>1 There are a lot of petitions saying, “Bring women from the city, do something about the bride shortage, give a bride to my eldest son.” The officials know that it’s impossible, so they’re just doing it for the sake of appearance, and I think they’re setting up a system that will never be used.
>>1 The thread title is weird. If you read the text, you will understand that currently it is paid to both men and women. Since there is a restriction that one must be employed or start a business, it is currently being considered to provide the benefit to full-time housewives as well in the future. I repeat, currently this benefit is paid to both men and women.
These days, there’s a surplus of women in the marriage market, so people are starting to think that giving preferential treatment to women isn’t going to do any good.
>>9 The general trend is that men vary widely and women are average. When it comes to marriage hunting, there is a cutoff, so there is inevitably a surplus of women.
> The policy is aimed at single women, and allows them to receive support even if they don’t start a business or get a job and move after getting married. It just makes it easier for people to make fraudulent claims by getting divorced and returning to Tokyo after moving. The users are probably all women with debts.
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