Internal Migration and Regional Economic Differentials in Postwar Japan

Abstract

In accordance with the transition from a high-growth economy to a slow-growth economy, not only the volume but also the pattern of internal migration in Japan shows a drastic change. During the rapid economic growth period from the latter half of the 1950s to an early part of the 1970s, the number of migrants to metropolitan areas from other areas increased continuously. During the slow economic growth period from an early part of the 1970s to the present, however, the volume of internal migration has been decreasing mainly because of the decline in the number of in-migrants to metropolitan areas. Together with the performance of economic growth, the dynamic structural and geographical transformation in postwar Japanese economy also has affected the changes in internal migration. Based on the economic indicators such as net prefectural products by industrial origin, prefectural income per person and number of increase in persons employed, it is indicated that regional economic differentials have been smaller through the achievement of high economic growth. This reduction of regional economic differentials has a big effect on the mobility decline. Considering the trends of interprefectural migration and of economic activities in each prefecture, it may be hypothesized that during the high economic growth period, the increase of job opportunities in secondary industry had the strongest influence on interprefectural migration among industries but after the shift to the slow economic growth period, its power to the migration has weakened and been replaced by the increase of job opportunities in tertiary industry. To consider the future prospects of internal migration in Japan, thus, one should pay close attention to a trend of activities in tertiary industry.