Reuters reports that, as the pandemic has pushed many companies to allow telecommuting, it has also caused population to flow out of Tokyo – the first time that has happened in years, according to government data.
The shift could boost Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who made revitalising Japan’s decaying rural regions a core plank of his socioeconomic platform.
In September, 30,644 people moved out of Tokyo, up 12.5% year-on-year, while the number moving in fell 11.7% to 27,006, the data showed.
It was the third straight month the those moving out outnumbered those moving in, the longest run on record, led by people in their 20s and 30s.
