"Mannequins Placed Where People Used to Be"... 60 Residents Take Drastic Measures in Japanese Rural Village

Dressing Mannequin Dolls and Placing Them Throughout the Village
As Part of Efforts to Alleviate the Lonely and Bleak Atmosphere

A small village in Japan, struggling with population decline, has attracted attention by taking special measures to change its bleak atmosphere. On the 26th (local time), foreign media such as The New York Post and AFP introduced a small Japanese village that is brightening its lonely atmosphere by creating life-sized dolls.

Hisayo Yamazaki, an 88-year-old resident of Ichinono village, told AFP, "The elderly people living here have children, but they left this place to attend university," adding, "We were afraid that if they were trapped in such a remote place, they would not be able to get married."
Photo by AFP

Ichinono village, located about an hour northwest of Kyoto, has only 60 residents. Most of them are elderly, and there is only one child. Among them, from a certain day, life-sized dolls began to appear one by one in the village, which had become desolate due to population decline. The villagers dress mannequins made using old clothes and place them around the village.

Life-sized dolls such as a farming doll, a doll enjoying a swing, and a doll riding a bicycle bring smiles with their realistic poses. Dolls are placed not only at residents' homes but throughout the village. Child-sized dolls are also placed in the swing, scooter, and even in the school classroom that closed several years ago.

Ichinono Village, located about an hour northwest of Kyoto, has a population of only 60 residents. Most of them are elderly, with only one child. One day, dolls began to appear one by one in the village, which had become desolate due to population decline.
[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

This is the village's effort to overcome loneliness and fill the population gap. Hisayo Yamazaki, an 88-year-old resident of Ichinono village, told AFP, "The elderly living here have children, but they left this place to attend university," adding, "We were afraid that if our children were trapped in such a remote place, they would not be able to get married." She continued, "After the children left, they did not return and found jobs elsewhere. Now we are paying the price for that."

Japan has the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over in the world

According to data released last month by the Japanese Statistics Bureau ahead of 'Respect for the Aged Day,' Japan has the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over in the world. While Japan's population is declining, the number of people aged 65 and over has reached an all-time high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3% of the total population.

According to data released last month by the Japanese Statistics Bureau ahead of "Respect for the Aged Day," Japan has the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over in the world. Although Japan's population is declining, the number of people aged 65 and over has reached an all-time high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3% of the total population.
[Photo by AFP]

According to data from the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the total population decreased for the 15th consecutive year in 2023, with the number of newborns hitting a record low of 730,000, while the number of deaths reached a record high of 1.58 million. Shigeru Ishiba, the Liberal Democratic Party leader who took office as Prime Minister on the 1st, promised to support rural area development, saying Ichinono village is one of about 20,000 areas in Japan where most residents are aged 65 or older.

Meanwhile, not only Japan but also South Korea is rapidly entering an aging society. The proportion of elderly population in South Korea was 17.5% in 2022, and it is predicted to increase to 46.4% by 2070, surpassing the working-age population ratio (15-64 years old) of 46.1%.