Schools close across rural Japan as birth rates plummet. 450 schools are forced to shut across Japan each year

Yumoto Junior High School will see its last two remaining students, Aoi Hoshi and Elita Sato, graduate on March 31, 2023. The school joins the thousands across Japan that have closed in recent decades. According to government data, around 450 schools are forced to shut across Japan each year due to the country’s rapid birth rate decline. Government-sanctioned measures to boost the birth rate have yet to take effect in rural areas, like where Yumoto is located.

h/t Ved