Abstract

This chapter aims to explore the meanings and effects of depopulation in primarily qualitative ways, rather than through statistics. Drawing on long-term fieldwork across Japan, findings show that depopulation is not necessarily taken as something inherently negative by residents. Given the rapid processes of ageing and depopulation in rural areas across Japan, the chapter shows that governmental and other actors have adjusted their views and reactions to the shrinking population, changing its understanding of it as something that needs to be battled to something that is inevitable. Hence, I argue that depopulation should be taken as a chance rather than as a burden, although numerous challenges need to be addressed to ensure that life in affected communities remain sustainable.