About four out of 10 people residing in Tokyo suburbs that are losing population want to continue living there, according to an annual white paper released Tuesday.
Despite the underlying trend of people moving back to central Tokyo following a fall in land prices, 43.5 percent of suburban residents want to live there permanently.
The findings highlight the need for municipalities and other entities to help create high-quality suburban neighborhoods with plenty of green space, the report says, citing the importance of meeting the needs of both urban and suburban residents.
The poll covered 2,703 people living in 34 areas in 13 cities within a 60-km radius of central Tokyo where the population has been declining. The cities include Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture; Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture; Sakado, Saitama Prefecture; and Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture.
The poll found 61.7 percent of the respondents want to either permanently live at their current address or at a different place in the same neighborhood.
The remaining pollees said they want to move out of their homes or neighborhoods, with 44.3 percent wanting to live in green suburbs of different cities. The poll found 29 percent want to move to one of Tokyo's 23 wards, Yokohama or other urban areas.