Japan's population is shrinking

Japanese are having fewer children
and with the population aging, the
country's population is dropping rapidly.

TOKYO - One interesting trend I'm hearing and reading about while travelling through Japan this week is that the country's population is dropping drastically because of the its rapidly aging population and decreasing birthrate.

Japan's current population of 120 million is expected to drop to 100 million in the next few years because of the higher death rates due to aging - Japan has one of the oldest populations on Earth - and a birthrate that now stands at 0.8 per cent - one of the lowest in the world.

According to the people I've been speaking to, women are waiting longer before having children thanks to new opportunities being offered in the workplace to females in this still male-dominated society, and when couples do have families, most limit it to one child due to the rising cost of education and housing here.

While the Japanese remain the healthiest population on the planet, many elderly are now well into their 80s and the natural dying process is occurring at a faster rate among that group.

Population growth has always been a concern in land challenged Japan and while the decrease in population may relieve overcrowding in cities like Tokyo, the concern is that Japan, because of its tight immigration laws, won't have enough skilled labourers in the future to keep up the country's economic engine running smoothly.

The things you learn when you talk to people in a sushi restaurant!