The key facts

  • Nanmoku (1,300 residents, 70% over 65) was named 'at greatest risk of disappearing' in 2014
  • A sister-city agreement with Belén (Peru) was signed last year; two students visited the village
  • The mayor wants long-term resident-neighbors, not temporary workers; the mechanism for obtaining residency is unclear

A village on the brink of extinction seeks residents in the Amazon

Nanmoku in Gunma Prefecture is a village with a population of about 1,300 people, the oldest municipality in Japan: 70% of residents are aged 65 and older. A 2014 think tank report named it the settlement 'at greatest risk of disappearing.' According to Mayor Saijo Hasegawa, about 60 people die in the village every year, while only two or three babies are born. 'Without them we may reach the point where even public transport stops working,' he told AFP, referring to new residents. The main street along the Nanmoku river, as observed by an AFP correspondent, is lined with houses and shops, some of which are abandoned, and on a rainy weekend the streets looked almost deserted.

Sisterhood with Belén and the students' visit

Last year Nanmoku signed a sister-city agreement with the Belén district in the Peruvian city of Iquitos in the Amazon. Belén Mayor Lina Arista Lopez and two young women visited the village, including a nursing home. Nineteen-year-old student Wendy Sangama told AFP: 'From the moment I arrived I began to admire everything about this place. And yes, this is a city where I could see myself living and settling down.' Her 23-year-old companion Ketsy Yaguarkani called the visit 'incredible' and said that if given the chance, she would stay. Mayor Hasegawa said the agreement was the result not so much of strategy as of a chance meeting with a Japanese-Peruvian entrepreneur, even though Peru is home to the world's third-largest Nikkei diaspora (Japanese immigrants and their descendants).

Motives on both sides

Belén, accessible only by air or water and nicknamed the 'Venice of Latin America,' is a poor district with a population of more than 60,000 people and a median age of about 27. Residents live mainly on informal trade and agriculture (yuca, rice, corn). 'We have a harsh reality in Belén. There is no work,' said Lopez, adding that due to the economic situation, young people are more willing to leave for other cities. Sangama noted that moving could be 'the best option' if it allows her to support her family back home, but separation from loved ones 'will definitely be a challenge.'

Obstacles and the mayor's position

How potential newcomers will obtain residency in Japan remains unclear — noted by both AFP and euronews. Neighboring municipalities have accepted foreign workers, mostly caregivers, under short-term programs for skilled professionals and technical trainees, but Hasegawa sees a different approach: he wants to accept residents of Belén as fellow villagers ready to build a long life in Nanmoku. 'The approach of simply recruiting workers through an agency just because we lack hands does not suit our village,' he said. At the same time, resistance to immigration is growing in Japan, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi advocates tightening regulations regarding foreigners. The village has previously tried to attract young people from other regions of the country, but there are few jobs, and agricultural land is limited in the mountainous terrain.

The view of local residents

Yuki Wanibuchi, 34, who moved to Nanmoku a few years ago from the Kyoto area, pointed to difficulties for newcomers, including the language barrier: 'You can't live here without a car, and getting a driver's license requires Japanese.' At the same time, according to her, 'personally, I find it more interesting when people with different backgrounds come here to live.' Eighty-seven-year-old resident Hiroshi Ihara, whose three children moved to big cities, said: 'I want more young people to come live in the village. Japan's population is shrinking. I think it would be best if people from abroad could come and do what they can to support us.' According to euronews, the village faces a shortage of workers in schools, public transport and care facilities, and officials believe the initiative could benefit both communities.