Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Japan's Biggest Problem Is Basically Unfixable
Business Insider ^ | 11/19/2014 | Shane Ferro

Posted on 11/19/2014 7:40:26 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Japan's economy is in trouble. The latest GDP figures unexpectedly show it to be in recession. In the long term, this is largely a story about demographics, and Japan is fighting an uphill battle.

One-fourth of Japan's population is older than 65, and that number isn't going down anytime soon. That means a shrinking percentage of the population is working. Meanwhile, a growing percentage of the population is receiving benefits, living on a fixed income, and being supported by that shrinking population of workers.

No amount of loose monetary or fiscal policy will bring more working-age people into the economy overnight.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Japan; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: demographics; economy; japan
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-91 next last
Japan retirees
1 posted on 11/19/2014 7:40:26 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

THIS IS NOT ONLY A JAPANESE PROBLEM. IT's A PROBLEM BEING FACED BY MANY OTHER INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES...


2 posted on 11/19/2014 7:42:34 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I hate to ask this, but is illegal immigration the only reason we are still a “young country”?

Is it “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”??


3 posted on 11/19/2014 7:42:55 AM PST by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The good news is that they are on islands — and needn’t worry about being invaded by Third World barbarians.


4 posted on 11/19/2014 7:42:56 AM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fishtank

RE: I hate to ask this, but is illegal immigration the only reason we are still a “young country”?

I’d say, IMMIGRATION -— BOTH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL.


5 posted on 11/19/2014 7:43:50 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

While traveling in Japan, once you get away from the cities, many of the villages have died. Just ghost towns. The young people move to the cities and they old folks die out....


6 posted on 11/19/2014 7:44:11 AM PST by ArtDodger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

” and needn’t worry about being invaded by Third World barbarians.”

That didn’t help England...


7 posted on 11/19/2014 7:44:18 AM PST by fishtank (The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: fishtank

MEDIAN AGE BY STATE


8 posted on 11/19/2014 7:45:15 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Makes a nice graphic, but ignores two fundamental facts:

  1. A huge percentage of the 65+ Japanese have saved massive sums for their retirement.
  2. A far larger percentage of the age 65 and under United States population are wagon riders as compared to their Japanese counterparts.

Yes, demographics are a big problem for the Japanese. But not as big of a problem as the massive number of wagon riders in the under 65 U.S. population, both home grown and imported.
9 posted on 11/19/2014 7:46:08 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Their problem is it’s damned expensive to live there and the people have enough wealth to live well, but not to live well and have children. So, they chose to live well and be childless. (They keep lots of cats instead.)

Those who do have children tend to invest heavily in just the one so that child will do well. If they had more they couldn’t afford to invest as heavily and the many children would have (in their opinion) a disadvantage competing with the other expensively educated children.

A similar phenomenon is happening in America. Wealthy Americans are having fewer children and sending them to private schools. If they had more children they’d be sending them to the sewer we call public education.


10 posted on 11/19/2014 7:48:29 AM PST by Gen.Blather
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Fertility is fun and fixes the problem.

“F*** for the future!”


11 posted on 11/19/2014 7:49:20 AM PST by Uncle Miltie ('The HERO of the (0bamacare) story is Mitt Romney' - "Stupid" Jonathan Gruber)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Looks like Islam is going to be a problem for a few decades.


12 posted on 11/19/2014 7:49:34 AM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

This phenomena is striking in the company I work for. There is a constant stream of retirees heading for the door. Many of them have 30+ year careers with the company. That brain-trust of technical knowledge and intimate understanding so f the machinations of the business is draining away and the heads~full~of~mush that are coming in to replace them don’t know shyt (but think they know everything).

As it is progressing I bet the company (over 100 years old) will fail within the next five years.


13 posted on 11/19/2014 7:50:42 AM PST by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Robotics


14 posted on 11/19/2014 7:51:31 AM PST by DannyTN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rockrr

May I ask what company that is? It’s very rare nowadays (other than a cushy government job ) to see someone stay in one company for over 30+ years and here you are telling us that you got lots of these people in your company...

People must like working there.


15 posted on 11/19/2014 7:52:53 AM PST by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Be fruitful and multiply... or be single and buy all the neat stuff on TV!

Pretty obvious what people choose. The media is more pernicious than even I can imagine.


16 posted on 11/19/2014 7:56:21 AM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat Party!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fishtank

A lot of african countries are “young countries” but I don’t think it’s immigration related. ;-)


17 posted on 11/19/2014 7:56:45 AM PST by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I am guessing it’s in an engineering field. Those jobs are still pretty stable.


18 posted on 11/19/2014 7:58:31 AM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama lied .. the economy died.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Oh my. This coupled with Japan’s huge illegal drug problem and out-of-wedlock birth rate is troubling.


19 posted on 11/19/2014 7:58:42 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gen.Blather

A similar phenomenon is happening in America. Wealthy Americans are having fewer children and sending them to private schools. If they had more children they’d be sending them to the sewer we call public education.


Makes me want to watch Idiocracy again. ;-)


20 posted on 11/19/2014 7:58:54 AM PST by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-91 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson