Rural Hollowing-Out Revisited: A Comparative Literature Review Between China and Japan

Abstract

The issue of rural hollowing out is not unique to China, as various countries worldwide have witnessed different degrees of this phenomenon during the process of urbanization. Japan and China, among those nations grappling with rural hollowing out, share noteworthy similarities, rendering Japan's governance experience particularly instructive for China. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Japan's issues with rural over-saturation and China's challenges with rural hollowing, revealing disparities in the formation mechanisms and timelines of these phenomena in the two countries. Notably, China experienced the hollowing-out problem later than Japan, and the process unfolded at a swifter pace. Examining governance policies, Japan advocates for the autonomous development of hollow villages in later stages. China stands to benefit by adopting Japan's supportive policies for rural areas, such as the 'one village, one product' initiative, which encourages hollowed villages to explore their unique strengths and specialize in products for endogenous development. In the realm of coordinating urban-rural relations, China can draw inspiration from Japan's strategy of "supporting rural areas with cities." This entails fostering rural development by investing in education and healthcare infrastructure in central cities, thereby promoting urban-rural integration.