WORLD FOCUS: Urban Asia

Yubari - Japan's 'greyest' city - fights depopulation, bankruptcy

A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A pole which says "The Hill of Yubari's Hope" near the city centre. Only 8,600 people live in Yubari, which, at 763.1 sq km, is larger than Singapore. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Yubari feels like a city stuck in the past, with posters of decades-old films such as action flick Die Hard (1988) and romantic musical South Pacific (1958), still plastered on walls in the city centre.ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
The Yubari Coal Mine Museum relives the 1960s when the city was Japan's coal-mining capital. But as Japan moved away from relying on coal, Yubari's last mine shut down in 1990, sparking an exodus of its working population. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A dilapidated roller coaster is among what is left of the Coal History Village theme park. The park, which was closed in 2006, is an example of the city's ill-conceived tourism initiatives. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A scarecrow with the tag "Family of Mr Shinobu Ogura" outside a home in Nagoro in Tokushima prefecture. The town has just 30 residents and more than 200 scarecrows, erected by a resident to represent those who have died or moved away. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Second-generation melon farmer Tetsuaki Naganuma, 43, has toiled on his farm in Yubari for 26 years. He is upbeat about what he calls a "very lucrative business", and is heartened that his two sons, aged 14 and 11, plan to succeed him. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's youngest city mayor when he was elected to lead Yubari in 2011 at age 30. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Nonoka Nikaido, 17, who is one of 75 students at the only senior high school, plans to stay on in Yubari. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
While Ms Yoko Yasuda, the third-generation owner of ramen joint Nonkiya near the Yubari city centre, loves the laid-back atmosphere of the city, she disliked its inconvenience.
While Ms Yoko Yasuda, the third-generation owner of ramen joint Nonkiya near the Yubari city centre, loves the laid-back atmosphere of the city, she disliked its inconvenience.ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM

A billion people have swelled the urban population in the Asia-Pacific region over three decades, and it is expected to grow by another billion by 2040. By next year, half of the region's population will live in cities. The Straits Times presents a series highlighting Asian cities and ways to tackle pressing urban issues. This fourth instalment looks at how Yubari, a city where one in two residents is aged 65 or older, deals with the challenge of being the city with the oldest population.

Published: 
1 hour ago
Straits Times Graphics

WORLD FOCUS: Urban Asia

Yubari - Japan's 'greyest' city - fights depopulation, bankruptcy

A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A pole which says "The Hill of Yubari's Hope" near the city centre. Only 8,600 people live in Yubari, which, at 763.1 sq km, is larger than Singapore. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Yubari feels like a city stuck in the past, with posters of decades-old films such as action flick Die Hard (1988) and romantic musical South Pacific (1958), still plastered on walls in the city centre.ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
The Yubari Coal Mine Museum relives the 1960s when the city was Japan's coal-mining capital. But as Japan moved away from relying on coal, Yubari's last mine shut down in 1990, sparking an exodus of its working population. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A dilapidated roller coaster is among what is left of the Coal History Village theme park. The park, which was closed in 2006, is an example of the city's ill-conceived tourism initiatives. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A scarecrow with the tag "Family of Mr Shinobu Ogura" outside a home in Nagoro in Tokushima prefecture. The town has just 30 residents and more than 200 scarecrows, erected by a resident to represent those who have died or moved away. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Second-generation melon farmer Tetsuaki Naganuma, 43, has toiled on his farm in Yubari for 26 years. He is upbeat about what he calls a "very lucrative business", and is heartened that his two sons, aged 14 and 11, plan to succeed him. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's youngest city mayor when he was elected to lead Yubari in 2011 at age 30. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
A seven-storey block of apartments that was built as part of Yubari mayor Naomichi Suzuki's ambitious plan for a more compact city nucleus by relocating residents to new apartment blocks in the city centre. Mr Naomichi Suzuki, now 37, was Japan's you
Nonoka Nikaido, 17, who is one of 75 students at the only senior high school, plans to stay on in Yubari. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM
While Ms Yoko Yasuda, the third-generation owner of ramen joint Nonkiya near the Yubari city centre, loves the laid-back atmosphere of the city, she disliked its inconvenience.
While Ms Yoko Yasuda, the third-generation owner of ramen joint Nonkiya near the Yubari city centre, loves the laid-back atmosphere of the city, she disliked its inconvenience.ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM

A billion people have swelled the urban population in the Asia-Pacific region over three decades, and it is expected to grow by another billion by 2040. By next year, half of the region's population will live in cities. The Straits Times presents a series highlighting Asian cities and ways to tackle pressing urban issues. This fourth instalment looks at how Yubari, a city where one in two residents is aged 65 or older, deals with the challenge of being the city with the oldest population.

Published: 
1 hour ago
Straits Times Graphics

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