Seppuku, 21st Century style:
The proportion of children in the (Japanese) population fell to an all-time low of 13.5 percent. That number has been falling for 34 straight years and is the lowest among 31 major countries, according to the report. In the United States, children account for about 20 percent of the population.
Japan also has a surfeit of the elderly. About 22 percent of the population is 65 or older, the highest proportion in the world. And that number is on the rise. By 2020, the elderly will outnumber children by nearly 3 to 1, the government report predicted. By 2040, they will outnumber them by nearly 4 to 1…
Population shrinkage began three years ago and is gathering pace. Within 50 years, the population, now 127 million, will fall by a third, the government projects. Within a century, two-thirds of the population will be gone
A trend is not a destination – sometimes the slope of the line changes, sometimes it even changes directions. For Japan’s sake it had better: The European solution of importing foreign labor probably wouldn’t work so well there.
I have offered many times to help the European and Japanese people with their low birthrates, but unfortunately they have not been as co-operative as I had hoped.
“A trend is not a destination ”
Exactly. Which is why this…
“Within a century, two-thirds of the population will be gone …”
…is risible.
The article goes on…
“For this is the land of disappearing children ”
Must not something appear before it can disappear?
A lot of what is happening in Japan have to do with some particular things that are going on here.
1) The society is changing and women in particular want more than their parents did. They are putting off getting married-and still living at home till in their 30′s. Japanese girls just want to have fun ( Which is not necessarily a bad thing).
2) There have been talk of having foreigner visas and bringing in foreign talent. Problem is Japanese cannot get over stereo types (Filipina =prostitiute in Japanese eyes). Then there is the language problem. To get along in Japan well-you have to learn at least some Japanese. Plus there is still a lot of anti foreigner sentiment here. But they have talked about making it easier for people who can pass the JLPT ( Japanese proficiency exam-it is a brutal test. I’ve taken it a couple of times).
3) Korea and China are offering a lot of market competition and Chinese wages are half of Japanese wages.
4) Japan does not know what to do about raising retirement age. 60-63 is still the norm here.
So you’re saying that in 30 years or so, Japan will be the new Florida? Maybe I should invest in property now, in the NEW Heaven’s anteroom . . .
You know, they keep talking about how Social Security is going to go belly up…. I wonder how many other nations will precede it?