過疎地域

• 読み: かそちいき
• ローマ字: kaso chiiki
• 漢字の分解: 過 (ka) — excess, surpass; 疎 (so) — sparse, scattered; 地 (chi) — land, earth; 域 (iki) — area, region, boundary
• 発音: /ka.so.tɕiː.ki/

意味

Depopulated area; underpopulated region. An area designated as having significantly declined in population, typically a rural or remote district.

Composed of 過疎 (underpopulation) and 地域 (area/region). In Japan, 過疎地域 is a legal designation under special legislation, entitling qualifying municipalities to government support. These areas face shrinking tax bases, ageing populations, and difficulties maintaining infrastructure and services. Policy responses include 地域おこし協力隊 (regional revitalisation cooperatives) and incentives for relocating families.

例文

1. 過疎地域に指定された市町村は、国から特別交付金を受け取ることができる。
2. 移住支援制度を利用して過疎地域に転居した若い夫婦が、農業を始めた。
3. 過疎地域では医師や教師の確保が難しく、行政サービスの維持が課題となっている。

使い方ガイド

場面: society, rural affairs, demographics, politics, administration

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

過疎 (kaso, underpopulation) + 地域 (chiiki, area/region). A legal and administrative term formally defined in Japanese law since the 1970s, reflecting the country's sustained urbanisation and regional population imbalance.

文化的背景

時代: Postwar–Contemporary

世代: Adults

社会的背景: General