Youth, newlywed couples, and childcare field experts participated to discuss ways to improve marriage, childbirth, and childcare environments 

Gyeongsangbuk-do and Tottori Prefecture, Japan, have continued their cooperation to create regions where young people hope to marry, give birth, and raise children. The two regions shared experiences in responding to low birth rates and explored ways to create an environment where youth and women can successfully settle down.

The province announced on the 22nd that it held the "2026 Gyeongsangbuk-do-Tottori Prefecture International Joint Forum for Overcoming Low Birth Rates" together with Tottori Prefecture at the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Yonago in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. This is the second event following the first forum held in Andong last August.

Approximately 120 officials and experts from both regions attended the event, including Kim Min-seok, Policy Chief of Gyeongsangbuk-do; Kwon Mi-suk, Director of the Low Birth Rate Countermeasures Division; Jung Jae-hoon, CEO of the Gyeongbuk Happiness Foundation; as well as Nakahara Miyuki, Vice Governor of Tottori Prefecture; and Fujita Hiromi, Director-General of the Children and Families Department.

The forum proceeded in the order of keynote presentations, sharing of low birth rate policies and achievements, and a panel discussion. In the keynote presentations, Yamamoto Ren, Representative of the Japan Regional Women’s Project, and Kim Myung-jung, Senior Researcher at the NLI Research Institute, suggested directions for improving conditions for youth and women to settle in regional areas and for creating a marriage-, childbirth-, and childcare-friendly environment.

Kwon Mi-suk, Director of the Low Birth Rate Countermeasures Division, presented the province's policies and implementation results regarding low birth rate countermeasures.

The panel discussion was held under the theme of "Marriage, Childbirth, and Childcare Environments Desired by the Younger Generation." Suzuki Shinichiro, a professor at Tottori University’s Faculty of Regional Sciences, served as the moderator. Participants included Jung Jae-hoon, CEO of the Gyeongbuk Happiness Foundation; Kim Je-yoon, CEO of Jeyoon Creative Studios and representative of newlyweds; university student representative Kobayashi Mizuki; and Sone Kentaro, representative of the wooden toy play facility "Omochaya SUN." They discussed support directions tailored to the living conditions of the younger generation.

Prior to the forum, the provincial delegation visited the local community hub facility "Kinaru Nanbu" in Nanbu town on the 21st, and the complex childcare support hub "Miraito Hiezu" on the 22nd, to examine operational statuses and discuss ways to operate childcare policies suited to regional characteristics.

The province and Tottori Prefecture plan to continue their exchange and cooperation by sharing best practices in responding to low birth rates.

Kim Min-seok, Policy Chief of Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, "The ties formed when we visited Tottori Prefecture in 2024 to benchmark low birth rate response policies led to the first international joint forum held in Andong, Gyeongbuk last year, and it is even more meaningful that we are holding the second forum in Tottori Prefecture this year." He added, "We look forward to Gyeongsangbuk-do and Tottori Prefecture continuing to share each other's experiences and wisdom, joining forces to create local communities where young people hope to marry and give birth, and where it is great to raise children."

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