According to Cointelegraph, the remote village of Yamakoshi in the Niigata Mountains of Japan has attracted 1,700 "digital citizens" by selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to support and sustain its aging population. The project is led by local residents and manages NFT collections called "Koi". These digital assets not only serve as the identity of Shanguzhi's "digital citizens", but also serve as governance tokens, allowing participation in the village's decentralized autonomous organization ( DAO) voting.

According to a report by Japanese research and consulting firm Yuri Group, the project has raised more than $423,000 through Koi NFT sales since its launch in 2021, with the proceeds used for community activities such as organizing sports meets for local elementary school students. Koi tokens are distributed free of charge to actual residents, while digital communities need to purchase them, with the current floor price being 0.0318 ETH.

Although NFT technology has not yet provided an immediate solution to Japan's low birth rate, it provides a unique and experimental fundraising method to address the aging problem in remote rural areas. If this strategy is successful and expanded to other villages, it is expected that rural Japan can raise approximately $500 million while experimenting with new social technologies with global appeal. In addition, despite the recent sharp decline in global NFT trading volume, Yuri Group believes that there is still market space for practical NFTs and collectible NFTs in Japan.