Free medical care, junior high school students study abroad at the village’s expense… Surprising policies of a village that “ranks first in Japan in per capita hometown tax donations”.

What was the return gift at that time: beer, coffee, and rice. ……

I thought most people wanted something extravagant once in a while, but many wanted daily necessities.”

However, after that, only locally produced goods were allowed as returned gifts, and although the volume dropped to 179 million yen in ’19, it gradually recovered, reaching 897 million yen in ’21, and then 966 million yen in ’22. The donation was then used to fund the Kitayama Municipal Foundation’s activities in the village.

Kitayama Village has a long-term plan to use these donations as part of its “comprehensive strategy.

We have a variety of policies for childcare, welfare, tourism, and education, and among them, we are focusing on settling young people,” he said.

In addition to subsidies for renting and acquiring housing, Kitayama Village offers free medical care until the age of 18, free school lunches at elementary and junior high schools, and free childcare.

Perhaps these measures have been successful, as the percentage of residents aged 65 or older is now 45% (according to the 2008 census).

A jambara processing factory is also under construction!　What can be done only in a small village with a small population?

There are things that can be done because of the small population. Currently, we are distributing stockpiled food for disaster prevention and broadcast receivers to all residents, which we can do because of our small population.

In terms of education, we are putting special emphasis on English language education, and we offer home-stay programs for second and third year junior high school students as part of their study abroad program. The village pays for the entire cost of this program.

Kitayama Village also offers English conversation classes at its nursery schools, and sends students abroad to study as an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

‘Currently, we have eight students in the junior high school, and we can only do this because of this number of students.’ We have been doing this since 2010, and it is thanks to the hometown tax that we can continue to do this.”

He also focuses on tourism.

Kitayama Village is located in a cedar production area, and cedars cut in the area were carried downstream on rafts. The rafting technique and the skill to maneuver the rafts have been passed down from one generation to the next. Rafting is also available on the same river.

There is also a campground and bungalows for lodging, but both are deteriorating. We need to renovate and repair these facilities, and it is also a comprehensive strategy for tourism other than the river.

Using tax payments from the hometown, a new processing plant for jambara has been constructed, and it is now able to produce many processed jambara products. It is also helping to create jobs.

Although some people criticize the taxation system, saying that it is just a way to save money, donations to Kitayama Village are definitely helping to build the village’s future.

Click here for the website of Kitayama Village, Wakayama Prefecture