The April 15 edition of the Wall Street Journal features an article on how people in Japan are coping with the mounting wave of job losses by returning to the land.

“As the global financial crisis sinks Japan into its worst recession since World War II and hundreds of thousands of jobs are slashed in factories and offices, farming has emerged as a promising new career track,” the article reports.

“Seeing agriculture as one of the few industries that could generate jobs right now, the government has earmarked $10 million to send 900 people to job-training programs in farming, forestry and fishing.”

Policy makers are hoping newly unemployed young people will help revive Japan’s dwindling farming population.

Of Japan’s total population, only 6% of the people work in agriculture. In the USA, where unemployment is also growing, less than 2% of the population works in agriculture.