Photo/Illutration A former “Kabato shujikan” prison building in Tsukigata, Hokkaido, is a popular sightseeing spot. The prison is featured in the manga series “Golden Kamuy.” (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

TSUKIGATA, Hokkaido--When released after serving their long sentences, most prison inmates want to head out of town and never look back.

But thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic, many inmates of the Tsukigata Jail here have become official residents, and at least one town official hopes they stay permanently. 

And it's all about the money. 

This farm town in the central part of Japan’s northern main island has seen a sudden boost of people registering their residency here this summer.

Many of the new residents were males younger than 65. At first, Tsukigata officials were baffled.

Did the town, located about 50 kilometers northeast of Sapporo and known for rice farming and growing melons and flowers, suddenly become attractive to outsiders?

The answer lies in the pandemic.

The central government in April decided to provide 100,000 yen ($943) in emergency cash relief to residents, which also included inmate populations.

That came as welcome news to prisoners around the country.

Inmates rushed to write letters to a local government hosting their respective incarceration facilities, inquiring what they had to do to get the money.

Tsukigata was no different. In fact, the town enjoys its nickname, “the town of jail.”

A jail named “Kabato shujikan” was built in the area in 1881. The town owes its name to the jail’s founding superintendent, Kiyoshi Tsukigata.

The former prison site has been preserved and is a popular tourist spot. It was featured in the manga series "Golden Kamuy." 

The town government successfully campaigned to build Tsukigata Jail, which opened in 1983.

The town population as of 1960 was 9,492. At the end of May this year, it had fallen to 3,071, less than one-third in 1960.

The percentage of people older than 65 in the total population was 42.3 at the end of March.

But at the end of July, the population rose to 3,134, about a 2 percent increase in only a few months. The percentage of people older than 65 dropped to 41.5.

That "population boom" was thanks to the inmates at the Tsukigata Jail, which houses perpetual offenders who are serving long sentences.

Since their residency data prior to serving the time have been deleted, town officials scrambled to call local governments around the nation to find out the required information.

Jail officials helped inmates, who cannot go to the town office to do their paperwork, to register and receive the payout.

In all, more than 80 inmates applied for the relief.

Yumiko Miyashita, a 53-year-old town assembly member, saw it as a problem, though.

“Inmates are not free to engage in economic activities. In return, they are guaranteed clothing, food and housing,” she said. “Providing the cash relief to such people defeats the purpose of the measures to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic.”

Ryuichi Uesaka, the 69-year-old town mayor, however, disagreed.

“I want the town of Tsukigata to be a place where the vulnerable population can coexist,” he said. “I even hope these (new residents) will stay here and settle down after getting out of prison."

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