What is Japan’s current population and trend?
- 124 million
- declining by 0.5% per year
What is the percent of people 65+ in Japan?
Over 25% of Japan’s population is 65+ and by 2040 should reach 35%
What is Japan’s fertility rate?
- 1.3 children per woman
- replacement level is 2.1
What is Japan’s life expectancy and median age?
- life expectancy is 84
- median age is 49
- median age will increase by 2050 reaching 53.2
What are the two main causes of demographic change in Japan?
Ageing population and declining birth rate
What could be the negative impacts of globalisation?
More westernised lifestyles may lead to a lower life expectancy as diets contain more unhealthy processed foods and refined sugars
What are culture related reasons for this change?
- tradition to care for the elderly, can explain higher life expectancy for Japan
- more woman working because of a more work minded generations and so not having children early on, decreasing fertility rate
Why is Japan’s birth rate so low?
- high living costs
- expensive schools
- long working hours
- delayed marriage, social roles mean that couples don’t have children until they are married
- education and contraception is accessible
What percent of Japan’s population have never been married?
- 62% of woman
- 72% of men
Why is Japan’s life expectancy so high?
- excellent healthcare, sanitation and living standards
- 10.2% of GDP spent on healthcare in 2013
- low fat diets, lower obesity and heart problems
Why is immigration not solving the population decline?
Strict immigration laws and cultural preference for ethnic homogeneity
How has an ageing population affected Japan socially?
- greater burden on the working population
- increased elderly isolation
- school and community closures in rural areas
How much of Japan’s public spending is spent on the elderly?
40%
How many schools shut down every year?
500 schools
What are the negative economic effects of an ageing population in Japan?
- labour shortages
- slower economic growth so a lower GDP
- increased healthcare and pension costs
- industries may outsource due to a smaller work force which is a leakage
What are the positive economic effects of an ageing population in Japan?
- less money spent on schools for children
- globalisation means the secondary sector is very successful and increasing revenue
- increased demand for leisure activities and care homes for the elderly creates jobs
What percent of the workforce does the elderly make up?
13%
Why are there empty houses in rural Japan?
- higher tax is paid on empty land so by having a residential property on it less land tax is paid so many people leave empty houses to save money
- older generations are moving away so that they can relocate closer to medical facilities or family members
- cultural beliefs like that ancestors spirits remain in houses prevent them from removing empty houses
How many empty houses are there in Japan?
More than 8 million
What are the environmental impacts of population decline in Japan?
- rural land abandonment
- underused urban areas
What is the Angel Plan and New Angel Plan?
Government schemes to boost fertility by improving childcare and promoting work life balance
How is Japan managing its ageing workforce?
Raising retirement age to 65 and encouraging older people to keep working
How is Japan using technology to counter labour shortages?
Investment in robots and AI for manufacturing and elderly care
What changes has Japan made to its immigration policy?
Introduced new visa categories in 2019 to attract foreign workers in key sectors
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