Japanese firms are leaving Tokyo for the sticks

WHEN WATANABE KOTA was young, he moved to Tokyo hoping to make a name as a musician in the big city. He failed, eventually returning to his native Yamanashi, an area west of Tokyo known for farming and Mount Fuji. But decades later, Mr Watanabe found himself reacquainted with his passion in an unexpected way. In 2021 Amuse, a big entertainment firm that manages top-tier Japanese artists and singers, moved its headquarters from Tokyo to Yamanashi. Mr Watanabe now works there. “I couldn’t believe a famous company like Amuse would move to such a sleepy place,” he says.