Chapter 11 The regenerative power of older migrants? A case study of Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

This chapter explores how the retiring Japanese “baby boomer” generation is rethinking the role of later life and potentially provides a new future for depopulated areas in rural Japan. Drawing on a case study of the Hokkaido prefecture, the chapter highlights three points. First, the baby boomer generation in Japan has very different ideas about the meaning of later life, and the spatial implications of these may present opportunities for regeneration. Secondly, hard-pressed rural local authorities are looking to exploit these opportunities to build a new socioeconomic base from the needs and aspirations of older people. Third, the chapter questions what kind of rural futures might be built.

Citation

Murakami, K., Gilroy, R. and Atterton, J. (2010), "Chapter 11 The regenerative power of older migrants? A case study of Hokkaido, Japan", Bonanno, A., Bakker, H., Jussaume, R., Kawamura, Y. and Shucksmith, M. (Ed.) From Community to Consumption: New and Classical Themes in Rural Sociological Research (Research in Rural Sociology and Development, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 155-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1057-1922(2010)0000016014