Society Rural Japanese town doubles fertility rate in 15 years

It took them 15 years to more than double the fertility rate. The necessary funds were raised by reducing the number of town officials and town assembly members. The town then began covering all medical expenses for high school or younger residents who would otherwise have to pay after insurance benefits are deducted. This means medical care is accessible free of charge for them. In Nagi, the costs for having a first child looked after at daycare centres are about half of the national standard. Parents can receive discounts for second and subsequent children as well. A subsidy has also been put in place to reduce the price of school lunches at elementary and junior high schools. Learning materials are distributed for free. Targeting younger residents, a financial assistance program has been introduced so they can live in homes with three bedrooms and living space, a dining area and a kitchen for a monthly fee of only 50,000 yen ($345).

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Eiji Moriyasu, an official of Nagi's information and planning division, which was once dubbed a "miracle town" in a magazine, recounted what should be done to improve the fertility rate. "People's anxieties should be dispelled first," Moriyasu said. Moriyasu said most residents are well-informed about the town's support programs to feel safe.

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thomas said:

Nagi, a small rural town in Okayama Prefecture, succeeded in doubling the fertility rate of its 6,000 residents in just 15 years. But how? Well, it seems it's got to do with providing child-friendly care facilities and covering all medical expenses for residents who are of high school age or younger.

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mdchachi said:

I was thinking maybe they were providing free love hotel vouchers, kind of like Go To Travel.

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Nagi has made measures to support child-rearing a pillar of its revitalization plan, and has promoted them in stages. The town has provided free textbooks and learning materials for elementary and junior high school students, free medical care for children up to high school, and tuition subsidies of 240,000 JPY (roughly USD 1,800) per student per year for high school students. In 2007, the town opened the "Nagi Child Home" child care support facility. In addition to temporary child care services, the facility provides a place where parents with children can talk in the same way they would with neighbors. Staffers consist of residents including mothers who have finished parenting and those raising children.

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