Rural municipalities working with students from urban areas

The project is aimed at securing human resources for community development and creating "related populations," or people who are continuously involved in regional communities.

The model project, launched this fiscal year, is available to local governments that accept students to work with local residents on regional development. It covers costs such as students' travel expenses.

The city of Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, is working to develop a base for exchanges between students and local residents.

Students learn from local residents about regional challenges, such as measures against snow damage, and provide proposals.

Among areas that are expected to be hit hard by a potential massive earthquake in the Nankai Trough off the country's central to southwestern Pacific coast, the city of Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, is working with students on "predisaster reconstruction" efforts to promote town development under the assumption of a major quake.

Through this collaboration, the city will draw up concrete measures to improve the effectiveness of its disaster reconstruction plan, drawn up in March 2025, and inform its residents of the measures.

"The viewpoint of students is valuable and important" as there is no university in the city, a city government official said.

In Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, five municipalities have accepted a total of 43 students, working with them to address local challenges, such as utilizing vacant houses and promoting local specialties. The prefectural government is supporting the municipalities.

At a time when rural areas are facing outflows of young people for higher education and other reasons, the ministry and local governments hope that the model project will encourage them to settle in or maintain long-term ties with these areas.

"Continued involvement from not just universities but also individual students is necessary," said an official of the Wakayama prefectural government.