The number of what are known as community reactivators, or people working to revitalize nonurban areas in Japan after moving from urban areas under a government-subsidized program, totaled a record 8,196 in fiscal 2025, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.

The figure rose by 286 from the previous year. The number of local governments that accept members of the "community-reactivating cooperator squad" increased by 11 to 1,187, also hitting a record high.

Those in their 20s or 30s accounted for over 60% of local revitalization cooperators, followed by those in their 40s, at 20%, and those in their 50s, at 10%.

Of the total, 60% were men and 40% were women.…