81.4% of Municipalities Report Results in 'Relationship Population' Initiatives: National Survey of 473 Local Governments

The General Incorporated Association for Local Government DX Promotion (GDX), based in Minato-ku, Tokyo, has released a report commissioned by Masato Ito (Lecturer) from the Center for Global Communications (GLOCOM) at the International University of Japan. The report, titled 'National Survey on DX and Telework Migration / Migration Without Job Change, Relationship Population Policy, and Furusato Resident Registration System,' analyzes responses from 473 municipalities across Japan.

### Survey Background Amidst population decline and extreme concentration in Tokyo, the Japanese government has introduced policies such as 'Relationship Population Creation,' 'Migration Without Job Change,' and the 'Furusato Resident Registration System.' Notably, for the Furusato Resident Registration System, guidelines (Ver. 1.0) were issued in March 2026, heading toward full operations in FY2026. This survey aimed to provide quantitative data on how local governments are receiving and implementing these policies.

### Key Findings

1. **High Success Rate in Relationship Population Initiatives** 65.7% (310 municipalities) reported implementing relationship population measures. Among them, 81.4% (249 municipalities) recognized positive outcomes (20.3% 'successful' and 61.1% 'somewhat successful'). Meanwhile, 18.6% did not perceive significant results.

2. **Positive Evaluation of Furusato Resident Registration System** 68.3% (313 municipalities) evaluated the system's direction positively ahead of its FY2026 launch. However, 31.7% (145 municipalities) gave a negative evaluation, indicating divided opinions on the finer details of the system design.

3. **Interest vs. Implementation Gap in Migration DX** 83.1% expressed interest in Digital Transformation (DX) for migration promotion. However, among the 430 municipalities working on migration, only 48.8% (210 municipalities) have actually implemented DX measures, while 51.2% have not.

4. **DX Focus on Information and Consultation** For the 210 municipalities implementing DX, the activities are concentrated on 'Information Dissemination' (93.8%) and 'Consultation Support' (71.4%). Utilization of DX for 'Interaction Support,' 'Status Monitoring,' and 'Impact Assessment' remains limited, representing a major challenge for the future.

5. **Work on 'Migration Without Job Change'** 58.1% (275 municipalities) are actively working on policies that support migration without requiring job changes, often leveraging telework capabilities promoted by the national government.