Japan is considering a new system in which young officials from central government agencies split their time between Tokyo and regional areas to support small municipalities.
The measure, part of regional revitalization efforts by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, aims to help municipalities struggling with a lack of personnel. The scheme is expected to begin as early as fiscal 2025, which starts in April.
The envisaged system would match young central government officials with municipalities seeking assistance. Such officials would ordinarily work in Tokyo but regularly visit municipalities or hold meetings online to give advice on ways to tackle regional challenges, such as dealing with vacant houses, attracting companies and providing child-rearing assistance.
The central government launched regional revitalization efforts in earnest in 2014, but municipalities with few employees are struggling to adequately plan and implement projects.
In the past decade, 227 local governments have not used regional revitalization-linked subsidies, according to the Cabinet Office. The new system aims to provide continuous support to such municipalities.
Currently, there is a system in which young central government officials are sent to local governments for roughly two years to serve as aides to mayors. It mainly targets municipalities with populations of up to 100,000 people, and about 300 officials have been dispatched through the system in the 10 years through fiscal 2024.
Separately, the land and agriculture ministries have a scheme in which officials help municipalities in remote islands and mountainous areas tackle regional problems.
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