According to Fukashi TechFlow, Yamakoshi, a remote village 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.
While NFT technology is not an immediate solution to Japan’s low birth rate, it offers a unique and experimental way to raise funds to address the aging population in remote rural areas. If this strategy is successful and expanded to other villages, it is expected that rural Japan could raise approximately $500 million while experimenting with new social technologies with global appeal.
