Japan's population decline

[wjfox]

I think this probably warrants its own thread now.

Here we can discuss the ongoing trend, the societal and economic implications, Japan's response and efforts to reverse it, and what it might mean for other nations in the future.

-----

Japan’s population drops by nearly 800,000 with falls in every prefecture for the first time

Wed 26 Jul 2023 06.10 BST

Every one of Japan’s 47 prefectures posted a population drop in 2022, while the total number of Japanese people fell by nearly 800,000. The figures released by the Japan’s internal affairs ministry mark two new unwelcome records for a nation sailing into uncharted demographic territory, but on a course many other countries are set to follow.

Japan’s prime minister has called the trend a crisis and vowed to tackle the situation. But national policies have so far failed to dent population decline, though concerted efforts by a sprinkling of small towns have had some effect.

Wednesday’s new data showed deaths hit a record high of more than 1.56 million while there were just 771,000 births in Japan in 2022, the first time the number of newborns has fallen below 800,000 since records began.

Even an all-time high increase in foreign residents of more than 10%, to 2.99 million, couldn’t halt a slide in the total population, which has declined for 14 years in a row to 122.42 million in 2022.

In January, prime minister Fumio Kishida said that addressing the birthrate was “now or never” and warned, “Our nation is on the cusp of whether it can maintain its societal functions.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... ths-deaths

[raklian]

I think one of solutions they might propose is to relax their strict immigration policies, like allowing dual citizenship, increasing the asylum limit, increasing the number of criteria to qualify for the long-term resident visa, etc.

For a long-term solution, they have the option of allocating some funding to the research and development of artificial wombs and care robots.

[Powers]

If Japan is in trouble then imagine South Korea

[erowind]

.

[wjfox]

Japan population: One in 10 people now aged 80 or older

4 hours ago

For the first time ever, more than one in 10 people in Japan are now aged 80 or older.

National data also shows 29.1% of the 125 million population is aged 65 or older- a record.

Japan has one of the lowest birth-rates in the world and has long struggled with how to provide for its ageing population.

It has the world's oldest population, measured by the proportion of people aged 65 or up, the United Nations says.

That proportion stands at 24.5% in Italy and 23.6% in Finland, which rank second and third respectively.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66850943

[Tadasuke]

How about reducing all the most unnecessary work and all the most unnecessary, supererogatory and redundant things? Going the way of healthy and moderate minimalism to achieve peace, free time and better physical as well as mental health. Try to introduce ways which slow down aging (even when only slightly), introduce more well-working exoskeletons, more actually useful robots, more actually useful and good AIs, less pointless stuff that only takes place, time and energy. It is possible.

[wjfox]

Tokyo is giving its employees a 4-day workweek to try to boost record-low fertility

Dec 6, 2024, 1:43 PM GMT

– Tokyo is introducing a four-day workweek to help boost fertility rates and support women.

– It's also rolling out a policy to allow parents to sacrifice salary in exchange for shorter days.

– Japan faces a declining fertility rate. It had just 758,631 births last year, a record low.

https://www.businessinsider.com/tokyo-i ... an-2024-12

[Powers]

It had just 758,631 births last year, a record low.

Damn. At that level we will reach historical levels in less of two centuries.

[raklian]

Tokyo is giving its employees a 4-day workweek to try to boost record-low fertility

Dec 6, 2024, 1:43 PM GMT

– Tokyo is introducing a four-day workweek to help boost fertility rates and support women.

– It's also rolling out a policy to allow parents to sacrifice salary in exchange for shorter days.

– Japan faces a declining fertility rate. It had just 758,631 births last year, a record low.

https://www.businessinsider.com/tokyo-i ... an-2024-12

Not sure sacrificing salary as a tradeoff is a sensible policy. It makes less sense when productivity is hitting record highs.

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

Jakarta overtakes Tokyo as world's largest city, according to UN

10h ago

Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, is the world's largest urban centre with a population of almost 42 million, according to new research by the United Nations.

Tokyo was the largest city in the world in the year 2000, but slower population growth over the previous quarter of a century has meant it has now been surpassed by Jakarta and Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka.

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Population Division found Jakarta and Dhaka, with its population of nearly 37 million people, now far exceeded Tokyo's 33 million.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-25/ ... /106049122

[caltrek]

Are We (in Japan) Ready for Robot Caregivers? The Answer is a Cautious “Yes, If...”
November , 2025

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Robots have never felt as close to becoming a part of everyday life as they do today. Their widespread use now seems likely in the near future. But as technology advances, important social questions remain. Are we ready to live and work alongside robots? Many people worry about safety, the loss of human contact, high costs, and the potential for robots to take over human jobs. These concerns are especially important when it comes to caregiving robots that assist older adults.

A new study by researchers at Chiba University in Japan reveals a general openness to using home-care robots, as long as people view them as beneficial to society. The findings highlight the delicate balance developers must strike between innovation and maintaining users’ trust.

The study, made available online on September 27, 2025, and published in Volume 174 of the journal Computers in Human Behavior on January 01, 2026, was led by Professor Sayuri Suwa from the Graduate School of Nursing at Chiba University, Japan. The research team also included Dr. Yumi Akuta from Tokyo Healthcare University, Japan; Dr. Naonori Kodate from University College Dublin, Ireland; Dr. Wenwei Yu from Chiba University; and Dr. Mayuko Tsujimura from Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan.

“Crucially, the results indicate that greater collaboration between users and developers, together with careful attention to ethical considerations, is essential for accelerating the adoption and societal implementation of home-care robots,” says Prof. Suwa.

Caregiving robots are expected to play an important role in Japan, which has the world’s fastest-aging population and a shortage of care workers. By 2040, the country may lack around 570,000 care workers. To understand how people feel about home-care robots, the researchers conducted a large survey with 4,890 participants, including older adults, their families, caregiving staff, and robot developers.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1104496

[firestar464]

Japan's older workers made me see how the US could better prepare for an aging economy

https://www.businessinsider.com/aging-r ... 80-2025-12

[weatheriscool]