英検1級　二次試験対策2月27日

問題：It is possible to stop the decline of rural areas in Japan

 

イントロ

I think that it is impossible to stop the decline of rural areas in Japan.
I have some reasons to support my opinion.

ボディ１

The first reason is that Japanese aging society.
Japan is recognized for having the oldest citizens all over the world.
And the vacant houses in rural area will be a serious problem because nobody will take care of the houses.
This would make the situation worse.

ボディ2

The second reason is that young people tend to go to the cities.
Young people know that there are more rewarding jobs and exciting things in the cities.
Most of them will live there and will not go back to their hometown.
So, only older people live in the countryside and young people are going to have babies in the cities so the decline will be worse.

 

結論

This is why, I strongly believe that we cannot stop the decline of rural areas?

質問

・If depopulation is inevitable, does that mean the government should give up?

I don’t think so.
Even though we might not stop it, we can slow it down.
For example, during the pandemic working remotely is getting popular and many young people want to work remotely.
So, if the companies and the government allow them to work remotely, they can live in the country, and this would slow down the problem.
Many things can be done to slow down the problem.

 

・Could you explain more about why you think the city is more suitable to young people?

For example, transportation.
Young people are less likely to drive so young people want to live in the cities with convenient transportation.
Also, when you raise your children, the cities are more suitable for them because they can let their children have more options.
I mean in the cities there are more schools and lessons afterschool such as cram school
This is why I think that young people prefer the cities.

・Some people are worried that Japan is relying more heavily on imported food these days.
Do you think declining the rural population will make this problem worse?

Absolutely!
As I said in my speech, there are fewer young people in the countries.
It also means that there are less successors who are likely to be formers.
Many countries try to stop it, but they cannot stop it so far.
So, I think it will influence on the problem.