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Paper short abstract:

Retirement and elderly migration plays a significant role within revitalization schemes of Japan's shrinking cities. Based on migration data and revitalization strategies this paper will examine the perspectives of two middle sized cities to prevent population decline.

Paper long abstract:

Recent census data (2015) show further ageing of the Japanese society (26.6%) accompanied by a shrinkage of the overall population. However, ageing as well as population decline is unevenly distributed. Major urban eras keep on growing, but have also reached high levels of population ageing with heavy repercussions on the welfare institutions, while the population declines further in most rural regions and smaller cities.

These severe demographic developments have induced municipalities to compete for people who may become their new inhabitants for the last two decades. Within these revitalization schemes retirement and elderly migration has played a significant role. They have especially targeted the postwar baby boomers (or dankai sedai) as these age cohorts are relatively affluent and may partly be receptive to new living environments due to their diversified lifestyles. By now, they have all reached retirement age. On the basis of census and other population data I will examine the migration of Japan's older population to other cities and prefectures over last few years, before taking a closer look at two specific cities, their demographic change, and prospects concerning population sustainability.

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Paper short abstract:

Many rural municipalities in Japan are struggling to sustain a sufficient level of public transport due to weak economy, depopulation, and over-aging. The case study of Kyotango City (Kyoto Pref.) searches for new approaches of how to handle the difficulty of limited mobility on the countryside.

Paper long abstract:

Japan is famous for its efficient and reliable public transport service. However, this image is largely based on perceptions of public transport systems in urban areas and not considering socio-spacial inequalities. In contrast, rural municipalities in Japan, which face weak economy as well as serious depopulation and over-aging since decades, are often struggling to sustain a sufficient level of public transport. Most operators of public transport systems such as local bus or railway companies are deep in the red and have to reduce their services leaving white spots on the map (areas without public transport), in particular in so-called "settlements on the edge" (genkai shūraku). The lack of mobility in structurally weak countryside areas leads to difficulties in the daily life of the inhabitants without an own car - i.e., high school students, elderly, and individuals suffering from disabilities - and results eventually in further migration to urban areas.

This paper searches for new approaches of how to improve public transport in rural Japan by analyzing the situation of Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture. Located in the Tango Peninsula on the Japan Sea side about two hours away from Kyoto City, Kyotango suffers from the same structural problems as many rural regions in Japan, in particular depopulation and over-aging. However, although facing these tough conditions, the public transport service in Kyotango has significantly improved in the recent years, providing mobility throughout the whole City area. The local bus and railway companies' business became sustainable thanks to reorganization of the ticket system and new marketing strategies. Furthermore, the introduction of community busses as well as several NPOs - using e.g. electric vehicles or the taxi app Uber - largely increased the local public transport service.

This case study, on the one hand, analyzes the different public transport systems and their operators in Kyotango and thus illustrates how sufficient mobility can be realized with limited financial resources in rural Japan. On the other hand, however, it also considers that this coexistence of many public transport operators has led to a rather complicated arrangement of different systems, eventually impossible to simplify.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper examines how the Nakamura Yukaku District in Nagoya has changed after the Prostitution Prevention Law in 1956. It was very strictly controlled as an old red-light district. Recently there is a noticeable trend of transforming these previous sexual spaces into senior care facilities.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines how yukaku (aka red light) districts have changed after the Prostitution Prevention Law in 1956. The region of analysis is the Nakamura Yukaku District, a previous red-light district, located to the west of Nagoya Station. Before the 1956 law, brothels were packed in one determined place as a yukaku under the jurisdiction of national authorities. In 1923, the Nakamura Yukaku District was established in order to relocate the Asahi Yukaku District in the Osu, Nagoya, area. The relocation purpose was to conceal such business from the growing urbanization of the Osu area. The Nakamura Yukaku District was enclosed by a moat to prevent prostitutes from escaping the specified district. Today many yukaku in Japan continue to function as red-light districts whilst others have been preserved as tourism areas.

In the Nakamura Yukaku District case, there is still one pornographic movie theater and many brothels in action. However, some of the old yukaku buildings have been renovated into traditional Japanese restaurants. Additionally, two other former brothels have been transformed into senior care facilities. The former Nakamura Yukaku District's administration building location is now a large supermarket. Another of the yukaku buildings was rebuilt as a drug store. Not only shopping places, but restaurants, a hospital, and a school are standing there today. This means that the formerly named Nakamura Yukaku District is not only a special sexual space but also an everyday life space.

Today one of the societal challenges facing Japan is the care of its large aging population. The transformation of focus from a pleasure area to a senior care area that is still relying on stereotyped women's work in harsh, low paying work environments is a possible, yet, unanticipated effect of the hopefully soon to be archaic patriarchal system. The Nakamura Yukaku District has historically been officially organized as a sexualized space for a long time. Presently, it's officially supported as a welfare space with a gender-biased system still in place. This examination questions the possibility of this organization being a continuation of gender stratification.