Public universities to aid revitalisation

Japan’s government plans to embark on a local revitalisation plan that enlists the help of municipality-run public universities in fighting depopulation outside metropolitan areas, reports The Yomiuri Shimbun.

By creating industries that draw on university research capabilities and raising the profile of local public universities to boost student enrolment, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry and the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry aim to prevent an outflow of young people from non-urban areas to big cities when they enter or graduate from university.

The two ministries intend to adopt the plan as one of the major strategies for revitalisation of local communities promoted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The main contributing factors to the population decline are the migration of local young people to metropolitan areas to attend university and the fact that few jobs are available in such regions, according to experts.
Full report on The Japan News site