NAGI, Okayama Prefecture--A regional fertility rate of 2.95 sounds unbelievable given Japan’s struggle with the increasingly dwindling birthrate, but it has happened here in the small town of Nagi. 

The 2019 figure is shown off on the town's website, all the while fewer children than the government expects are born every year throughout the country.

The number far exceeded the levels for regions with larger populations and is more than double that in prefectures with major cities, such as Tokyo at 1.15, Osaka Prefecture at 1.31, Aichi Prefecture at 1.45 and Fukuoka Prefecture at 1.44.

The total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is expected to give birth to in her lifetime, should be higher than about 2.1 for Japan to retain its population.

As Elon Musk, CEO of electric car giant Tesla Inc. in the United States, recently stated, the falling birthrate is in the spotlight for Japan.

“Unless something changes to cause the birthrate to exceed the death rate, Japan will eventually cease to exist,” Musk wrote on Twitter.

When the national total fertility rate hit a record low 1.26 in 2005, like the rest of the nation, Nagi was scrambling to deal with its rate of 1.41.

The ratio has now jumped to nearly 3.0.

For clues on raising the rate nationwide, an Asahi Shimbun reporter headed to Nagi to discover what the town is doing right.

DOUBLED FERTILITY RATE OVER 15 YEARS

Characterized by green mountains, sprawling skies and magnificent rice paddies, Nagi sits in northeastern Okayama Prefecture.

Fireflies can be found there in summer. As a typical rural area in Japan, convenience cannot be expected in Nagi like in urban districts.

How could this small town, with less than 6,000 residents, succeed in raising the fertility rate so dramatically?

An interview with a mother spotted at an establishment called the Nagi Child Home provided clues.

Mitsuru Hijiya, 42, was visiting the child-rearing support center with two kids. Gaku was 2 while Koko is to turn 1 later this year.

Toys are available at the facility, and parents can consult its staff about child care and interact with others who have children.

“Raising two children feels easier here,” said Hijiya. “This is what I often talk about with my husband when it comes to this town.”

Hijiya, who takes care of her children at home and brings them to the Nagi Child Home on occasion, added living in the municipality provides her with an unexplainable feeling of security that all will go well.

“I’m originally from Shimane Prefecture, so I'm overjoyed finding friends and having lunch with them here,” she said. “My kids play more actively when they are at the center, though we have some of the same toys at home.”

As parents with small children are apt to become isolated, the Nagi Child Home offers a place for such people to build bonds with one another.

Needless to say, everyone has the right to decide whether to have spouses or children. Some people also want to have children but can’t due to general feelings of uneasiness over financial and other problems.

With these and other elements behind the dwindling birthrate in mind, Nagi started stepping up its unique approaches in around 2004 to help parents. It took them 15 years to more than double the fertility rate.

The necessary funds were raised by reducing the number of town officials and town assembly members.

The town then began covering all medical expenses for residents who are of high school age or younger and who would otherwise have to pay after insurance benefits are deducted. This means medical care is accessible free of charge for them.

In Nagi, the costs for having a first child looked after at day care centers are about half of the national standard. Parents can receive discounts for second and subsequent children as well.

A subsidy has also been put in place to reduce the price of school lunches at elementary and junior high schools. Learning materials are distributed for free.

Targeting younger residents, a financial assistance program has been introduced so they can live in homes with three bedrooms and a living space, dining area and a kitchen for a monthly fee of only 50,000 yen ($345).

Eiji Moriyasu, an official of the information and planning division of Nagi, which was once dubbed a “miracle town” in a magazine, recounted what should be done to improve the fertility rate.

“People’s anxieties should be dispelled first of all,” Moriyasu said.

Moriyasu said most residents are well-informed about the town’s support programs to feel safe.

He then showed the covers of the town’s bulletin featuring children. Young individuals in Nagi performing in sports events and elsewhere are alike shown on the pages inside.

“An environment needs to be created where everyone is willing to cherish and nurture children together,” said Moriyasu.

The children-friendly atmosphere, combined with generous child care assistance programs, convinces worried parents that they can have and raise children here with no anxieties, thus pushing up the fertility rate.

ALSO HELPING THE ELDERLY

In an apparently rare effort, Nagi also annually provides high school students with 135,000 yen over the course of three years. The money is supposed to cover part of bus fares to attend schools outside the town.

High schoolers’ daily rides on buses will help preserve the local transit means, allowing elderly citizens without automobiles to go shopping and visit hospitals with ease.

“Taking countermeasures against the fallen birthrate is one of the best ways to contribute to senior citizens’ well-being,” Moriyasu said.

The idea is that making regional communities easier to live in for children and households with children will enable elderly and other individuals in all stages of life to lead comfortable lives at the same time.

While the central government is planning to invest twice as much money as it currently does to support child-rearing in the future, people from different generations may reap the benefits of the policy as well.

The developments in the tiny mountainous town are offering tips on how to replace people’s concerns involving having children with an implicit sense of security. And the hints can apply to other regions.