It is reported in today's Nikkei Newspaper (p. 5) that regional income disparities seem to be widening for the last few years, as Tokyo-to and Aichi-ken have the highest income level, which is rising over time, while Aomori-ken and Okinawa-ken have the lowest income level, which is decreasing over time. In the same issue (same page) of Nikkei, there is a report on Yubari-shi, which has been losing population faster than expected since its serious fiscal problem surfaced last year (see the link above). It is concluded that not only regional prefectures but also local communities seem to be diverging into two groups, i.e., rich ones and poor ones.
