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Japan Has Aged Out of its Economic Miracle

posted by cmn32480 on Thursday August 27 2015, @01:48PM   Printer-friendly
from the get-off-my-lawn dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

in the long run the fortunes of nations are determined by population trends. Japan is not only the world's fastest-aging major economy (already every fourth person is older than 65, and by 2050 that share will be nearly 40 percent), its population is also declining. Today's 127 million will shrink to 97 million by 2050, and forecasts show shortages of the young labor force needed in construction and health care. Who will maintain Japan's extensive and admirably efficient transportation infrastructures? Who will take care of millions of old people? By 2050 people above the age of 80 will outnumber the children.

Who will take care of millions of old people? Robots!

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  • (Score: 2) by richtopia on Thursday August 27 2015, @03:30PM

    by richtopia (3160) on Thursday August 27 2015, @03:30PM (#228614) Homepage Journal

    Firstly, I'm not sure what the correct answer is. However, many industrialized countries have aging populations. However, Japan stands out as having some of the strictest immigration policies in the world - you really need to be Japanese to be a Japanese citizen.

    Germany is a very good comparison. With one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, the country's population is largely dependent on immigration. In the past (60s and 70s) there were actually pro-immigration policies in place to replace working class labour, with the Turks being the most visible group attracted. The population issue is relatively solved, however there are social tensions with the immigrants and their families.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 27 2015, @05:50PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 27 2015, @05:50PM (#228667)

    What makes Japan so awesome is that it is a monoculture. This, as it turns out, is also its primary flaw.

    IMHO, stay weird Japan.