Todo Dia, Japoneses Pagam Uma Dívida Que Não Fizeram — e Assistem a Própria Cidade Morrer
Asian Docs
1,416 views
In May 2026, two Yubari melons were sold for 5.8 million yen, the highest price in the auction's history. That same year, the city they come from is finishing paying off its bankruptcy.
Yubari, in Hokkaido, had nearly 117,000 residents during its coal boom. In 2006, it announced it could not pay a debt of 35.3 billion yen. Since then, it has cut schools, hospitals, salaries, and even train services. The final debt payment is due in March 2027. The city now has fewer than 6,000 inhabitants, and more than half say they may leave.
In this video you will see:
— the coal city and the tragedy of 1981
— the "from coal to tourism" plan and the hidden accounting hole
— the schools that became two and the hospital that became a clinic
— the 30-year-old mayor who asked for the end of his own train and became governor
— the ski resort bought for 2.6 billion and sold for 240 million
— the man who doesn't close his shop so his neighbors don't have to leave
— the 744 Japanese municipalities that may disappear
— and the miners from Hokkaido who ended up in Brazil in 1961
⚠️ The debt will be fully paid off in March 2027, but the formal exit from the reconstruction regime is only planned for 2030, as explained in the video.
SOURCES
• Hokkaido Shimbun — Record Population Decline (Dec/2025): https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Hokkaido Shimbun — 55% May Move (Jun/2026): https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Hokkaido Shimbun — The Last Installment of the Budget (Mar/2026): https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Hokkaido Shimbun — 20 Years of Bankruptcy: https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Nippon.com — Mayor Suzuki: https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/...
• Nikkei — Ski Resort Sale (2017): https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLZO...
• Kumamoto Nichinichi / Kyodo — the record-breaking melon (2026): https://kumanichi.com/articles/1993859
• National Diet Library — the miners who went to Brazil: https://www.ndl.go.jp/brasil/s7/s7_2....
#Japan #Documentary #AsianDocs
Todo Dia, Japoneses Pagam Uma Dívida Que Não Fizeram — e Assistem a Própria Cidade Morrer
Asian Docs
1,416 views
In May 2026, two Yubari melons were sold for 5.8 million yen, the highest price in the auction's history. That same year, the city they come from is finishing paying off its bankruptcy.
Yubari, in Hokkaido, had nearly 117,000 residents during its coal boom. In 2006, it announced it could not pay a debt of 35.3 billion yen. Since then, it has cut schools, hospitals, salaries, and even train services. The final debt payment is due in March 2027. The city now has fewer than 6,000 inhabitants, and more than half say they may leave.
In this video you will see:
— the coal city and the tragedy of 1981
— the "from coal to tourism" plan and the hidden accounting hole
— the schools that became two and the hospital that became a clinic
— the 30-year-old mayor who asked for the end of his own train and became governor
— the ski resort bought for 2.6 billion and sold for 240 million
— the man who doesn't close his shop so his neighbors don't have to leave
— the 744 Japanese municipalities that may disappear
— and the miners from Hokkaido who ended up in Brazil in 1961
⚠️ The debt will be fully paid off in March 2027, but the formal exit from the reconstruction regime is only planned for 2030, as explained in the video.
SOURCES
• Hokkaido Shimbun — Record Population Decline (Dec/2025): https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Hokkaido Shimbun — 55% May Move (Jun/2026): https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Hokkaido Shimbun — The Last Installment of the Budget (Mar/2026): https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Hokkaido Shimbun — 20 Years of Bankruptcy: https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article...
• Nippon.com — Mayor Suzuki: https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/...
• Nikkei — Ski Resort Sale (2017): https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLZO...
• Kumamoto Nichinichi / Kyodo — the record-breaking melon (2026): https://kumanichi.com/articles/1993859
• National Diet Library — the miners who went to Brazil: https://www.ndl.go.jp/brasil/s7/s7_2....
#Japan #Documentary #AsianDocs