Regional characteristics of migrant business startups under the "Return to Rural Living": Learning processes and spatial behavior

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K20731
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 4:Geography, cultural anthropology, folklore, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: Kashima Hiroshi 熊本大学, 大学院人文社会科学研究部(文), 教授 (50283510)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 移住者 / 創業 / 起業 / 田園回帰 / 地場産業

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study attempted to identify the regional characteristics of business start-ups by migrants in Kumamoto Prefecture.
As a result of collecting information on migrants from published sources, a total of 146 migrants were identified in the prefecture, of whom 48 were founders. The geographical distribution of founders and the type of business they were engaged in were identified, and there were a number of 'multiple businesses' in which they were concurrently working in more than one business.
In relation to the situation of migrants engaging in local industries, the actual situation of the workers in the Amakusa and Shodai ceramic production areas in Kumamoto Prefecture was identified. In both production areas, each pottery produced unique and individualistic products. The workers regarded the ceramic industry as a self-fulfilling job. It is clear that local industry contributes to the retention of migrants.

Free Research Field

人文地理学，経済地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

地方農村部では製造業等の雇用が大きく減少しており，人材の地域への定着のためには創業の増加が重要である。2010年代以降の田園回帰の流れの中で，地方農村部への移住者は増加傾向にあり，創業の担い手としても期待されている。本研究では移住創業者の実態の一端を把握することができた。また，地場産業も移住者を地域に定着させることに寄与していることを明らかにした。移住者を「なりわい」の視点から捉えることの重要性が明らかになった。