TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The government plans to launch a new registration system to encourage people to keep strong connections with rural areas hit by depopulation, aiming to sign up more than 10 million users over the next decade.

The initiative is a hallmark of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's efforts to revitalize regional areas, as Japan has been unsuccessful in reversing a long-term trend of overconcentration of people in Tokyo and other major cities.

The launch of the program will be included in a government strategy to be finalized later this year to rev up regional growth. While details have yet to be worked out, people wishing to use the system would be asked to register via a smartphone app with local governments of their choice, which would then issue certificates.

Among potential users are repeat tourists and other frequent visitors to rural areas, as well as those who donate money by using the government's "furusato nozei," or hometown tax system, that gives tax incentives to people who make tax payments to municipalities of their choice and receive local specialties in return.

Registered nonresidents would receive information on local events or services but whether the program can broaden its appeal through more tangible benefits remains unclear.

Ishiba's government also wants to encourage people to live and work in multiple areas to facilitate the flow of city dwellers into other parts of the country.

Migration to the Tokyo metropolitan area accelerated in 2024 from a year ago with a net inflow of over 9,000, after a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A senior official in one prefecture was critical of the latest plan, saying, "It's nothing new. I don't see at all what kinds of sectors they want to foster to revitalize regional economies."