空洞化

Compound of 空(くう)洞(どう) (kūdō, “hollow; cavity”) + 化(か) (ka, “-ization”).

• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ːdo̞ːka̠]

空(くう)洞(どう)化(か) • (kūdōka) 

1. the process of losing something's essence, hollowing out
   • 2025 July 24, “中部の製造業は冷静”, in 中日新聞 [Chunichi Shimbun], morning edition, number 29683, page 9:

     中部地方の製造業では関税の引き下げを冷静に受け止める一方で、識者からは米国での自動車生産の流れが進み、輸出が減ることで地域経済の空洞化を懸念する声も漏れた。

     Chūbu chihō no seizōgyō de wa kanzei no hikisage o reisei ni uketomeru ippō de, shikisha kara wa beikoku de no jidōsha seisan no nagare ga susumi, yushutsu ga heru koto de chiiki keizai no kūdōka o kenen suru koe mo moreta.

     While manufacturers in the Chubu region have calmly accepted the tariff cuts, some experts have expressed concern that the shift to automobile production within America will lead to a hollowing out of the local economy due to a decline in exports.

2. short for 産業空洞化 (sangyō kūdōka, “deindustrialization”)