Dwindling Rural Population Leads To School Closures In Japan

TAMBA, JAPAN - APRIL 07: Junior High school students check their names prior to entering the first day of the new academic year at New Sannan Junior High School on April 07, 2023 in Tamba, Japan. The newly constructed New Sannan Junior High School was opened today for the students of recently closed two junior high schools. More than 300 schools have closed across Japan annually in the past ten years due to dwindling birth rates and migration to urban areas. The number of elementary, junior and high schools decreased by 3535 in the 2022 fiscal year compared to 2011, survey statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Education showed. In Hyogo Prefecture, Tanba city, one elementary school located in the remote village of Ichijima and two junior high schools located Wada and Sannan remote villages were closed due to the percentage of school students coming down drastically in March 2023 alone. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)