Return Migration in Japan

In post-World War II Japan, rapid economic growth prompted many youngsters to migrate to metropolitan areas which had abundant employment. Existing researches pointed out that many returned to their home prefectures, but this has not been satisfactory substantiated mainly due to a lack of migration history data. In a previous study (Esaki et al., 1999), we conducted a questionnaire survey and investigated this kind of return migration, namely U-turn migration, to Nagano Prefecture, which is within medium distance from the three largest metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya). This study applied the same methodology to people born and raised in Miyazaki Prefecture, which is located in peripheral Japan, and aimed to obtain a general understanding of U-turn migration.Our questionnaire survey in the present study examined 1, 509 migration histories of male graduates from six high schools in Miyazaki Prefecture (1966-1968 and 1976-1978 graduates). A comparison of the survey results of the two Prefectures, Nagano and Miyazaki, revealed the following facts.First, the rate of U-turn migration from the three largest metropolitan areas to Nagano and Miyazaki was progressively higher for the younger generation. Among the younger generation, the return migration at graduation from university accounted for the larger proportion of all cases of U-turn migration, reflecting a rise in educational background.In case of the two Prefectures, the tendency of U-turn migration returning to the municipality where he had grown up becomes gradually stronger for the younger generation. Migrants' preference for their home municipalities, however, was slightly weaker in Miyazaki Prefecture. On the contrary, there were more 'J-turn' migrants, that is, U-turn migrants who returned not to their home municipalities but to the leading city in the Prefecture, namely Miyazaki City.Esaki et al. (1999) demonstrated that the birthplace of a man's wife was a very strong factor in his decision-making in favor of U-turn migration, although his academic background and whether or not he was the eldest son also affected it. This study confirmed the applicability of the results to the case of Miyazaki, in which those married with women born and raised in Miyazaki Prefecture were more likely to return than those married with women from other Prefectures.In terms of the timing of U-turn migration in accordance with an individual's working career, this study revealed that the majority of the migrants returned to Nagano and Miyazaki Prefectures within five to eight years after getting their first job. This indicates that U-turn migration mostly occurred shortly after they had started their lives in metropolitan areas. Therefore, we can conclude that U-turn migration is an option that young migrants who move away from rural regions may choose at the first turning point in their careers, with relatively little restriction regarding occupational and residential choice.