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Planning for the Ageing Countryside in Japan: The Potential Impact of Multi-habitation

Abstract This paper explores how the aspirations of the retiring Japanese ‘baby boomer’ generation are being harnessed by depopulated rural areas as drivers for revival. Drawing upon case studies and key actor interviews undertaken in Hokkaido prefecture, the paper makes three points. Firstly that, as in the UK, the baby boomer generation in Japan is creating opportunities for the regeneration of rural areas. Secondly that proactive local authorities can act as facilitators in meeting both the aspirations of incomers and the growing needs of existing communities. Finally that, by blending the dreams of the rural idyll with the harsher realities of rural life, new, inclusive rural values can be framed that provide a positive strategy for the future survival, and indeed growth, of rural areas.