FUKUSHIMA, Japan, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Reports that a Japanese village, desperate to attract residents, had promised free bullet train rides to new residents have drawn hundreds of responses.
The village of Izumizaki, in Fukushima prefecture north of Tokyo, promised to pay up to 3 million yen, ($27,000) in commuting fees per resident over three years for those who buy into a village-run residential estate from which they can commute to Tokyo on bullet trains.
Since TV programs and magazines began reporting the village's offer about three months ago, village officials have been flooded with some 700 inquiries from across the nation, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Sunday.
Village officials, who had struggled to fill unpopular residential areas, said that 18 people had already pledged to buy into the estate in Izumizaki.
