NANMOKU, Japan — This village sits along a river running through the mountains, surrounded by forests of cedar and bamboo. The once-thriving hamlet was known for its silk, timber and a starchy root ...

With most of the population gone, residents of one village in Japan have come up with a novel plan to make it less lonely — replacing people with puppets. Fewer than 60 people live in Ichinono, and ...

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The village is on the leading edge of Japan's rural depopulation, a trend other nations in Asia and Europe are experiencing. The number of Japanese over age 100 is at a record high, and new births are ...