Japanese elderly now outnumber children.
Posted on 04/20/2013 3:49:03 AM PDT by NYer
Japanese elderly now outnumber children.
TOKYO, April 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Japan is seeing the most rapid decline in population of any country on earth, according to the World Population Data Sheet produced by the U.S. Population Reference Bureau.
A newly released report on demographic trends by the Japanese government reveals that Japan's population continues to plummet, and that 2012 saw the biggest population drop since record-keeping began in the 1950s.
On October 1, 2012, the country’s population was estimated at 127,515,000, down 0.22 percent from the previous year, said the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in a April 16 report.
Japan’s birth rate, which is well below replacement level, combined with an ever-increasing number of deaths, has resulted in the country’s population falling by a record 284,000 in 2012.
According to the report, the number of births in 2012 fell to a record low of 1,033,000, down by 18,000 from 2011.
The report pointed out that 40 of Japan's 47 prefectures saw a significant population decline, and Fukushima - the area of the nuclear disaster due to the 2011 tsunami - ranked highest with a plunge of 1.41 percent.
The government report also showed that Japanese society continues to age, with people aged 65 or over estimated at 30,793,000, up 1,041,000 from the previous year.
They now account for a record high 24.1 percent of the total population.
The report also stated that, for the first time, the elderly outnumber children aged 14 and under.
The island has a projected population of 120 million in 2025, but only 95 million by 2050.
The Japanese government's estimates predict that by 2060, Japan will have 87 million people, while the number of people 65 or older will nearly double, to 40 percent.
According to Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, in 1995 the working age population hit its high point at 87 million. In 2004 this had dropped to 85.08 million, and by the end of 2010 stood at 81.07 million.
The agency estimates that by 2060 the national work force of people between ages 15 and 65 is expected to shrink to about half of the total population.
"The bare facts are shocking enough," remarked Steven Mosher of the Population Research Institute.
"Japan’s fertility rate, at 1.1 children per woman, has never been lower, and it is still falling from year to year," he said. "Japan already has the oldest population in the world and, with virtually no immigration, there appears to be no way out of the looming democide. The elderly will die, and there will be fewer people and far fewer workers in the Home Islands in the years to come."
He concluded, "The solution is obvious, but the Japanese people have to want more children for there to be more children."
From the large number turning 65, it appears that Japan has a large crop of boomers too.
I’m not a boomer but my younger sister is. I always think that is a mystery
-——I suspect that Japan will lead the world in robot design and production-——
Don’t they already?
This provides an interesting train of thought.
Robots can actually be taxed and then since they don’t retire, not require pensions. We learn from lego that robots, serious robots, can be assembled from a collection of standardized parts. That means that when one task is complete, the pieces can be disassembled and those not worn can be reused.
Philippines
“-——I suspect that Japan will lead the world in robot design and production-——
Don’t they already?”
They do. But I had in mind the science fiction AI type robots dreamed up by Robert Heinlein. Also, I expect they’ll be the first to deploy fully unmanned, autonomous military equipment to protect themselves from the Chinese. (Nobody else would risk it, but they’ll have no choice.)
Our population has doubled and our freedoms have halved.
History shows us no example of a successful society with a declining population.
Nope, nothing occurs in a vacuumm. What you’ll have is liberals and hedonists avoiding parenting and the religious embracing it. The religious see porn as a negative and children as a positive and are willing to live with the consequences.
Countries like America will see a divergence of population - poor and ignorant incentivized to have children via the benefits program and the religious who have children because it is God’s will - net, net that’s what you will get over the next few generations.
You are correct, and I suspect that that is the reason no Freeper has commented. Your conclusion cannot be challenged.
In my lifetime, too, America’s population also has more than doubled, and given the social situation that we are currently living under—which I recognize as not being your point—not for the better. I much prefer the United States that I grew up in.
Name a time and place in history when population decline was beneficial.
There is no evidence that stability of any sort comes after TFR drops below 2.1. My money is that this is the beginning of the end for Japan. The geographical place will remain but the powerhouse economy will not.
pornography...nature’s birth control on a large scale
Americans may have killed 55 million, but what about all the babies of the babies that were never born?
“History shows us no example of a successful society with a declining population.” - NOT SO FAST
The Black Death - 1350s brought forth a huge change in Europe. The end of the feudal system, the beginning of the Renaissance. - Guilds (Unions)
In general a re-awakening of human development
The thing with the “boomer” concept. It is true the birth rate after WWII rose. However when you look at the historical graph of birth rates going back to 1900’s to today, you see that this rise was merely back to historic birth rate levels. The real issue was the subsequent collapse in birth rate immediately after the 50’s. Thats the real demographic issue impacting everything from Social Security to realestate stagnation.
So to make sure I fully and completely misunderstand and twist your words..... You are suggesting that the best path forward for us is a massive plague with 30-50% death of the population ?
I know you aren’t just having fun.......
Seriously though the original quote should have been phrased “declining population due to birth rate”. But for the high birth rates during the period you highlight Europe would have been a wasteland.
I heard that!!!
Yeah, used to live in Japan for a while back in my younger days.
It was a great place to be young...
As a general rule - Humans tend to be resilient and react “rationally” to any given situation.
We also tend to hyperventilate.
History has a flow to it - Some ups some downs. This time is no different. Yes, there will be some difficult times and things will be different.
The story of life
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