Japanese companies are leaving Tokyo for the countryside
wangxmyg
发表于 2023-10-12 16:51:48
4100
0
0
Japanese companies are leaving Tokyo and moving to the countryside When Mitsudo Watanabe was a young man, he moved to Tokyo hoping to become a well-known musician in the big city. He failed and eventually returned to his hometown of Yamanashi, an area west of Tokyo known for its agriculture and Mount Fuji. In 2021, Amuse, a major entertainment company that manages Japan's top artists and singers, moves its headquarters from Tokyo to Yamanashi. Mr. Watanabe works there now. "I couldn't believe that a high-profile company like Amuse would move to such a peaceful location," he said.
More and more Japanese companies are leaving Tokyo for the countryside. Last year, 335 companies moved from Japan's urban areas to the countryside, an increase of nearly 40 percent from 2019. This trend has been reinforced during the pandemic, as remote working has taken off and low land prices in rural areas have begun to look more attractive to employers. Amuse's executives also decided to move to Yamanashi, hoping to improve their employees' work-life balance and boost their happiness in a place with a beautiful natural environment.
Corporate fragmentation has long been a goal in Japan. During Japan's postwar economic boom, many citizens flocked to the growing capital. Eventually, the Japanese authorities began to see this as a problem, especially in the 1990s as the economy entered a period of stagnation. With rural areas increasingly depopulated, the Japanese government is pushing urban people out of the country, hoping to spread employment and corporate tax revenue. Under the banner of "regional revitalization," Japan's central and local governments offer tax incentives and subsidies to encourage companies to move their headquarters or some office functions to less populated areas.
Reducing the risk of natural disasters is another reason to relocate, especially in a country as prone to earthquakes as Japan. Experts estimate that there is a 70 percent chance of a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake hitting Tokyo in the next 30 years. "Business continuity is the most important thing for us," says Tsunaji Iwata of AXA Life Insurance. He sees the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami as a turning point. Since then, the company, like a number of others, has begun to consider spreading people and resources around because concentrating in Tokyo is too risky. In 2014, the company opened a new headquarters in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido.
However, Japan is still too Tokyo-centric, and companies are not moving out of the capital as fast as they would like. While remote working has become more accepted, face-to-face meetings are still an important aspect of Japanese work culture. As a result, many employees have to meet with customers and business partners in Tokyo. While some employees may enjoy the idyllic countryside, many prefer the convenience of the capital. People with children also worry that a small place will not be able to enjoy quality education in the city.
Another problem is a lack of planning and coordination by Japanese authorities. Motohiro Sato of Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo says that rather than creating new economic hubs, many relocation efforts are "simply spreading businesses across the country". He sees this as a hangover from Japan's past economic boom, when officials promoted the idea of "balanced development" and wanted thousands of cities across the country to grow at roughly the same rate. While some new growth centers have emerged in recent years, they have not been big enough to challenge Tokyo's dominance. "The Japanese government needs to think more about how to distinguish between areas that need investment and those that don't," Mr. Sato said. Otherwise, Tokyo will continue to win. (Written by Sam Quinn, translated by Shufan)
CandyLake.com 系信息发布平台,仅提供信息存储空间服务。
声明:该文观点仅代表作者本人,本文不代表CandyLake.com立场,且不构成建议,请谨慎对待。
声明:该文观点仅代表作者本人,本文不代表CandyLake.com立场,且不构成建议,请谨慎对待。
猜你喜欢
- Fearless of the resurgence of Black Monday? More than half of economists expect Bank of Japan to raise interest rates again in December
- Japanese Steel and US Steel executives reportedly meet with US officials to discuss acquisition matters
- 40% of employees are over 50 years old. Japan Airlines will increase the benefits for retired and rehired personnel over the age of 60
- How popular are Chinese stocks? The Japanese stock market is rushing to raise "smart money" and is rapidly pouring in
- Automotive Morning Post | Tesla reportedly plans to launch four new batteries by 2026. Multiple Japanese car manufacturers apply to recall over 200000 vehicles
- Suddenly! The Japanese stock market surged by over 2%
- Set the fastest record! Why did Shigeru Ishiba dissolve the House of Representatives 8 days after taking office as Japanese Prime Minister?
- Three major Japanese car manufacturers continue to see a year-on-year decline in new car sales in China in September
- TSMC: The progress of the Japanese factory is very smooth, and mass production will begin this quarter
- TSMC: Kumamoto Plant 2 in Japan will start construction in the first quarter of next year and begin production by the end of 2027
-
随着“银十”结束,各家造车新势力都交出了一份亮眼的成绩单。 理想领跑10月新势力交付榜,鸿蒙智行重回4万辆,零跑、深蓝、极氪、小鹏等单月交付量均创新高,岚图、阿维塔、智己等实现破万,但哪吒却消失在 ...
- fanadam
- 3 天前
- 支持
- 反对
- 回复
- 收藏
-
何思文表示,“在进博会这个平台上,我们开启的是倾听模式,通过进博会展出各类产品,收集消费者的需求和反馈,进而帮助决定未来进口到中国的产品。过去,汽车行业的许多创新源于美国加州或欧洲。我相信,中国正 ...
- MaxLucky
- 6 小时前
- 支持
- 反对
- 回复
- 收藏
-
11月5日至10日,第七届中国国际进口博览会(下称“进博会”)在国家会展中心(上海)举办。在进博会期间,平安健康医疗科技有限公司(下称“平安健康”)与美敦力(上海)管理有限公司(下称“美敦力”)达成战 ...
- Hidden2
- 前天 17:06
- 支持
- 反对
- 回复
- 收藏
-
今年上半年业绩表现低迷的百胜中国在第三季度打了个“翻身仗”。11月4日,百胜中国发布三季报显示,今年第三季度,其净利润同比增长22%。而在第一季度、第二季度,该公司净利润增长率分别为-1%、8%,第三季度净 ...
- nihaosifa
- 前天 15:35
- 支持
- 反对
- 回复
- 收藏