By Saki Tanaka
Shimane Prefecture is one of the areas that is decreasing an aging population. The birth rate in Shimane is on the decline. Young people in Shimane tend to move to urban areas when they go to college or get a job. Those who got jobs in urban areas continue to work and live there and they do not come back to their hometowns. This trend causes the population and economic declines of Shimane. I think there are two ways to solve such problems.
First of all, let’s think about why young people move to cities. In general, jobs in the city have higher wages and a variety of occupations, so teenagers and twenties who are going to work or go to college think that urban areas are attractive places. In addition, it is thought that smart people who have excellent skills tend to go to cities such as Tokyo. I think those people think that working in the city is better than working in the countryside because they can demonstrate their own abilities. It can’t be helped for them to go to the city once to go on to higher education or get a job, but eventually a lot of people of Shimane Prefecture want their young people to come back to Shimane Prefecture again.
One way to prevent population outflows to urban areas is increasing wages. Companies in Shimane should try to raise wages. There are a lot of people who go to urban places to get high wages. Many people judge that if wages are low, they can’t support their children. It is important to raise wages so that everyone can have decent wages so that they can have families.
Another way is to create a good environment for raising children. In order to do that, it is necessary to enhance childcare services so that parents with children can work, and to create a place where they can go to play on weekends such as parks. Many parents are grateful to be able to receive support from a community and the company that they work for in raising children. In my hometown, Oda City in Shimane Prefecture, children during the compulsory education period, who are elementary school and junior high school students, can receive reduced medical expenses. In some cases, medical expenses may be free. So many parents will be very helped because the burden is less.
The problem of local population decline is serious. In order to prevent further problems from becoming more serious, I think these solutions should be implemented. It is important to improve the workplace environment in Shimane Prefecture. Local companies inform young people that the wages are high and encourage them to work in rural areas such as Shimane Prefecture. After young people start working in Shimane, it is required to create an environment where it is easy to raise children to build a family there. Then people who want ease of living will gather. I’m looking forward to the future in Shimane.
