How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages

By Anthony Kuhn,

Darian Woods, Julia Ritchey, Kate Concannon, Chie Kobayashi

Published September 4, 2024 at 4:42 PM EDT

Hachiro Koganezawa, 90, farms flowers and vegetables on a plot of land outside Nanmoku in Japan. (Anthony Kuhn/NPR)

The once-thriving Japanese hamlet of Nanmoku was known for its silk and timber industries. Today, it is the country's most aged village, with two-thirds of residents over age 65. On today's show, how the Japanese government is trying to address rural depopulation and attract younger residents to villages like Nanmoku.

Related listening:
Japan had a vibrant economy. Then it fell into a slump for 30 years (Apple / Spotify)
Japan's ninja shortage

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Anthony Kuhn

Anthony Kuhn is NPR's correspondent based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and the great diversity of Asia's countries and cultures. Before moving to Seoul in 2018, he traveled to the region to cover major stories including the North Korean nuclear crisis and the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster.

See stories by Anthony Kuhn

Darian Woods

Darian Woods is a reporter and producer for The Indicator from Planet Money. He blends economics, journalism, and an ear for audio to tell stories that explain the global economy. He's reported on the time the world got together and solved a climate crisis, vaccine intellectual property explained through cake baking, and how Kit Kat bars reveal hidden economic forces.

See stories by Darian Woods

Julia Ritchey

Julia Ritchey is an audio journalist with 15 years experience reporting, editing and podcasting all over the country. She's reported from eight states and all four U.S. time zones, most recently at Nashville Public Radio, Tennessee's largest NPR affiliate, overseeing the station's policy, environmental and education beats.

Kate Concannon

Kate Concannon is the Supervising Senior Editor at The Indicator from Planet Money. She leads this small, collaborative team of hosts, reporters and producers in making sense of crucial, but often complex and confusing, economic news in just 10 minutes a day.

Chie Kobayashi