Winning a new car might just be the incentive that drives people to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Local governments are taking action to increase vaccination rates across Japan, especially among the younger generation, which accounts for half of new infections.

The aim of the campaign is to get the economy moving again.

Gunma prefecture hopes to encourage young people with an eye-catching gift: a Subaru XV compact sport utility vehicle.

The lucky recipient will be picked through a lottery, open to Gunma residents in their 20s and 30s who have received both doses of the vaccine. The vehicle was donated by Subaru Corp., which has car factories in the prefecture.

Also via lottery, Gunma will give out 350 vouchers for travel within the prefecture.

The age group’s infection rates rose nationally from 18.9% on Aug. 1 to 43.7% on Aug. 26.

In Aichi prefecture 20,000 lucky lottery winners will receive dining vouchers worth $90. To qualify to win, entrants must receive two vaccine doses by the end of October.

Pandemic-crippled tourism and restaurant industries expect that increased vaccination rates will mean a boost in consumption.

For a different demographic, Momiji, a soba restaurant in Bunkyo ward, Tokyo, is offering a $9 discount on special soba dishes to residents 65 and older who are fully vaccinated. Bunkyo subsidizes small and midsize shops that offer incentives.

Food Plus Holdings, which operates the restaurant chain Shoya, mainly in the Kyushu region, offers a 10% discount on meals for people with one vaccination — and their parties. The offer is good as many times as customers want.

At Tokyo Dome, a site for mass vaccinations, a big screen shows Yomiuri Giants highlights to entertain newly vaccinated people while they are monitored for adverse reactions. The team’s cheerleaders give away masks and drinks to ease visitors’ anxiety.

Incentives can be just what the doctor ordered for the vaccine-hesitant, said Fumio Otake, a member of the government’s COVID-19 task force.

Otake’s team ran a study using three different messages encouraging vaccinations.

An altruistic version, “Your vaccination will encourage others to get vaccinated, too,” appealed to older people, he said.

None of the messages seemed to affect the younger generation.

“Young people are less likely to change their behavior through messages,” Otake said.

Incentives, however, might be an answer.

“It’s not necessary for incentives to be money or gifts, but such privileges as permission to travel or go to concerts will lead to an increase in the number of vaccinations.”

More than 50% of the nation’s population has received two vaccine doses, and the inoculation rate among young people is not rising fast enough.

Still, when the Tokyo government set up a vaccination site in Shibuya ward, long lines formed for a vaccination lottery, indicating that many young people are eager to get the vaccine.

That’s welcome news following a survey by the metropolitan government in July, which showed that 30% to 40% of respondents in the age group said they either did not want or were unsure about COVID-19 vaccinations. The figures were the highest among all age groups.

Making strides with young adults is likely the key to tamping infections and reviving the economy.

In Britain, Israel and the United States, where COVID-19 vaccinations have proceeded at a rapid pace, inoculation rates have peaked at about 70%.

Japan expects to face similar challenges and is planning to create vaccine certificates that will allow the vaccinated to bypass restrictions and receive discounts.