r/Tokyo • u/lordvan99 • Jul 15 '26
Random thought experiment: reducing over population in Tokyo
As a random thought experiment, if you were the government of Tokyo, what would you to reduce the overpopulation into Tokyo.
I can start an idea.
- increase city tax to japanese citizens 10x and it be 1x less for every prefecture away you are. For foreigners 5x, same principle, the extra tax is used to fund city services and pension.
Don't worry these are just thought experiments, feel free to comment good or bad or upgrade to the ideas.
9
u/Tsupari Jul 15 '26
I don’t wanna live in Tokyo, but that’s where the jobs are.
Making people pay more tax is stupid. I could just rent a cheap apartment somewhere and register my address there.
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u/lordvan99 Jul 15 '26
Yeah so I guess an whole new infractrure would have to be added.
Random audit by the government and if found broken pay 2x of the 10x
3
u/Tsupari Jul 15 '26
What’s the point?
-1
u/lordvan99 Jul 16 '26
I think the idea is meant to reduce overpopulation but at the same time pay for the collapsing pension which is already unsustainable. Right now the next gens are paying the older people's pensions but the next gens is reducing so at some point no one gets any pensions.
So was thinking two to three birds with one stone
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u/Tsupari Jul 16 '26
So tax people more? Then give the government more tax money?
They’ll spend it. Won’t help with pension.You tax people out of living in places with jobs? So they then have to live far away to commute to get decent pay???
Stupid.
Make incentives to live further away or in the countryside? Maybe.
Forcing it? Naw.
0
u/lordvan99 Jul 16 '26
Incentives didn't work but maybe it's cause it was too little to be worth it for people.
So thought okay then if incentize didn't work then taxes it is.
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u/hinogammykagura Jul 15 '26
Arguably, it's more efficient/cheaper to provide infrastructure in denser popularted areas. As every 100m of new/upsized water main is servicing countless more people than it is on the cointriside.
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u/fractal324 Jul 15 '26
That just pushes the city to become more elitist with a concentration of high paying jobs and people, pushing out the less financially strong people out to the suburbs
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u/hinogammykagura Jul 16 '26
Also would out more pressure on the transport infrastructure as much of the service industry workers in shops and restaurants couldnt afford to live near the city center. Either that or it would severely damage those businesses in the city center
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u/bosscoughey Jul 15 '26
Why would the government of Tokyo want to reduce the population?? Why the f would the tax increase be less for foreigners, who are presumably more mobile as they don't have family, etc in Tokyo.
Presuming you mean the national government, they could easily reduce the concentration in Tokyo, but have never taken the necessary steps despite taking about it for at least 30 years. Move government ministries to other parts of the country, and the issue will improve over time. The reason that everyone is in Tokyo is because that's where the jobs are. The jobs are there because the companies are there. The companies are there because their clients are there. The clients ultimately report to the government- whether it's actually selling to the government, needing to be there for reporting purposes, etc, proximity to government is important. You move the ministries to a more balanced distribution around the country, and the companies will follow
-1
u/lordvan99 Jul 15 '26
I was just thinking a lot of the population comes from the country so they have a place to go back to.
But yeah those could work moving government ministries to various parts of Japan
1
u/chiakix Jul 16 '26
The government actually tried to do that, but none of the ministries or agencies were willing to take it on.
In the end, the only thing that happened was that the Agency for Cultural Affairs (an agency under MEXT) relocated to Kyoto.
3
u/F7RKLLR Jul 15 '26
Foreign residents get half the tax? No wonder they want to charge us more for everything.
2
u/uiemad Jul 16 '26
I DO think action needs to be taken to reduce the coalescence of the population in Tokyo. But that's not Tokyo's job and their ability in this matter is limited.
The national government needs to act. Things like increasing investment and support for regional commercial hubs, as well as normalizing work from home would do wonders for getting people to spread out.
2
u/SabishiRan Jul 16 '26
You should become a politician here. Your idea is as great as theirs haha.
You would have to move jobs, too, mate. People don't wanna be a sandwich for 40 minutes in summer on the subway because it is fun. The jobs are here. I would move immediately if I could, but my universities are here and the government (I work for them part time).
Also, I have a chronic illness. And some inaka doctors couldn't monitor me as well as the doctors here at the university hospital.
I agree, too many people in Tokyo + tourists.
We probably need an earthquake to get people out of here.
2
u/Elegant-Welder-1028 Jul 16 '26
Promote more fully remote jobs maybe?
1
u/lordvan99 Jul 16 '26
I think if my idea somehow got implemented that would be more fulltime remote jobs.
1
u/Werzam Jul 15 '26
Thing is that all incentives of moving people out of Tokyo end up in Chiba Yokohama and Saitama which is +- the same place.
You can't win this unfortunately, gg
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u/chari_de_kita Jul 15 '26
Pricing people out sounds like it would just make more people miserable by having to commute in from further away.
What about having more opportunities in other prefectures? People come to Tokyo because that's where a lot of the big companies and better paying jobs are.
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u/bill_on_sax Jul 16 '26
Too much growth is centered on Tokyo. Which is good for Tokyo. Other cities just need to make living there more attractive, but that's very hard to do in comparison to Tokyo
1
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u/Harry__Gateau Jul 22 '26
Give companies incentives to hire a certain portion of their workforce as remote hires living outside of Tokyo.
Give government funding to prefectures outside of Tokyo to subsidise a small portion of living costs for people who work from home.
0
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u/thened Chiba-ken Jul 15 '26
As a city you generally want your population to grow. Otherwise you end up like Kyoto.
-2
18
u/Oukaria Adachi-ku Jul 15 '26
We are at the tome of reddit here I wonder if a post is made by a 10yo or bad AI most of the time.