Post by vgambler33 on Dec 24, 2005 11:41:01 GMT -5
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Japan's population starts shrinking Wed Dec 21,11:28 PM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's population fell for the first time in 2005, the government said, calling it a "turning point" that will force the world's second largest economy to adapt to a rapidly aging society.
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With its young people increasingly finding children a burden to their careers and lifestyles, Japan joins Germany and Italy among a club of nations whose populations have started to shrink.
Deaths are likely to outnumber births by about 10,000 this year, the first decline since 1899 when Japan began compiling the data, health ministry figures showed.
"Our country is now standing at a major turning point in terms of population," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Jiro Kawasaki told a news conference.
"We must take countermeasures against the falling birthrate along with measures to support and foster our future generations," Kawasaki said.
Japan's population stood at 127,687,000 as of October 2004. The health ministry said births were set to fall by 44,000 to 1,067,000 this year, with deaths going up 48,000 to 1,077,000 year-on-year.
"Although there may be some temporary gains in population in the future, it cannot be helped to foresee a further decline in the mid- and long-run," a health ministry official said.
The declining population fuels fears for the pension system as a smaller workforce supports a mass of pensioners.
Historically homogeneous Japan has so far rejected wide-scale immigration, accepting only foreign workers with particular skills.
The latest study shows the population is dropping at a faster pace than thought. Just last week the Cabinet Office forecast the population would start shrinking in 2006 -- itself a revision to a previous estimate that the decline would begin in 2007.
The Cabinet Office predicted that the population will halve to 60 million people by 2100.
Welcome, vgambler22@sbcglo...
[Sign Out, My Account] News Home |Help
Japan's population starts shrinking Wed Dec 21,11:28 PM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's population fell for the first time in 2005, the government said, calling it a "turning point" that will force the world's second largest economy to adapt to a rapidly aging society.
ADVERTISEMENT
With its young people increasingly finding children a burden to their careers and lifestyles, Japan joins Germany and Italy among a club of nations whose populations have started to shrink.
Deaths are likely to outnumber births by about 10,000 this year, the first decline since 1899 when Japan began compiling the data, health ministry figures showed.
"Our country is now standing at a major turning point in terms of population," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Jiro Kawasaki told a news conference.
"We must take countermeasures against the falling birthrate along with measures to support and foster our future generations," Kawasaki said.
Japan's population stood at 127,687,000 as of October 2004. The health ministry said births were set to fall by 44,000 to 1,067,000 this year, with deaths going up 48,000 to 1,077,000 year-on-year.
"Although there may be some temporary gains in population in the future, it cannot be helped to foresee a further decline in the mid- and long-run," a health ministry official said.
The declining population fuels fears for the pension system as a smaller workforce supports a mass of pensioners.
Historically homogeneous Japan has so far rejected wide-scale immigration, accepting only foreign workers with particular skills.
The latest study shows the population is dropping at a faster pace than thought. Just last week the Cabinet Office forecast the population would start shrinking in 2006 -- itself a revision to a previous estimate that the decline would begin in 2007.
The Cabinet Office predicted that the population will halve to 60 million people by 2100.
