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[[File:Population pyramid of Japan from 2020 to 2100.gif|thumb|300x300px|Population pyramid of Japan from 2020 to projections up to 2100]]

[[File:Japan Population by Age 1920-2010 with Projection to 2060.png|thumb|300x300px|Japan's population in three demographic categories, from 1920 to 2010, with projections to 2060]]

[[Japan]] has the [[Demographics|highest proportion]] of [[Elderly people in Japan|elderly citizens]] of any country in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elderly citizens accounted for record 28.4% of Japan's population in 2018, data show |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/15/national/elderly-citizens-accounted-record-28-4-japans-population-2018-data-show/ |website=The Japan Times |access-date=7 June 2020 |date=15 September 2019}}</ref> 2014 estimates showed that about 38% of the Japanese population was above the age of 60, and 25.9% was above the age of 65, a figure that increased to 29.1% by 2022. By 2050, an estimated one-third of the population in Japan is expected to be 65 and older.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilcjapan.org/agingE/|title=Aging in Japan{{pipe}}ILC-Japan|website=www.ilcjapan.org|access-date=2017-03-21}}</ref> Population aging in Japan preceded similar trends in other countries, such as South Korea and China.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lipscy |first=Phillip Y. |date=2023 |title=Japan: the harbinger state |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/japanese-journal-of-political-science/article/japan-the-harbinger-state/2A9123B64A04C480B1BC5669FC2C8AF3 |journal=Japanese Journal of Political Science |language=en |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=80–97 |doi=10.1017/S1468109922000329 |issn=1468-1099|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=An ageing country shows others how to manage |url=https://www.economist.com/special-report/2021/12/07/an-ageing-country-shows-others-how-to-manage |access-date=2024-05-31 |work=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> 

The ageing of Japanese society, characterized by [[sub-replacement fertility]] [[Total fertility rate|rates]] and [[List of countries by life expectancy|high life expectancy]], is expected to continue. Japan had a post-war [[baby boom]] between 1947 and 1949, followed by a prolonged period of [[sub-replacement fertility|low fertility]].<ref name="The Globe and Mail">{{Cite news |last=Marlow |first=Iain |date=13 November 2015 |title=Bold steps: Japan's remedy for a rapidly aging society |language=en-ca |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/retirement/retire-planning/how-japan-is-coping-with-a-rapidly-aging-population/article27259703/ |access-date=2017-04-05}}</ref> These trends resulted in the decline of [[Demographics of Japan|Japan's population]] after reaching a peak of 128.1 million in October 2008.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/japans-greatest-challenge-its-not-china-massive-population-16212|title=Japan's Greatest Challenge (And It's Not China): Massive Population Decline|last=Armstrong|first=Shiro|date=May 16, 2016|website=The National Interest|access-date=June 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321083328/http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/japans-greatest-challenge-its-not-china-massive-population-16212|archive-date=March 21, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Japan's population was estimated to be 127 million. This figure is expected to shrink to 107 million (by 16%) by 2040 and to 97 million (by 24%) by 2050 if this current demographic trend continues.<ref name="The Japan Times 2015">{{cite news | title=Is Japan becoming extinct? | newspaper=The Japan Times Online | date=16 May 2015 | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/16/national/social-issues/japan-becoming-extinct/ | access-date=13 September 2018| last1=Johnston | first1=Eric }}</ref> A 2020 global analysis found that Japan was one of 23 countries that could see a total population decline of 50% or more by 2100.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vollset |first1=Stein Emil |last2=Goren |first2=Emily |last3=Yuan |first3=Chun-Wei |last4=Cao |first4=Jackie |last5=Smith |first5=Amanda E |last6=Hsiao |first6=Thomas |last7=Bisignano |first7=Catherine |last8=Azhar |first8=Gulrez S |last9=Castro |first9=Emma |last10=Chalek |first10=Julian |last11=Dolgert |first11=Andrew J |last12=Frank |first12=Tahvi |last13=Fukutaki |first13=Kai |last14=Hay |first14=Simon I |last15=Lozano |first15=Rafael |date=2020 |title=Fertility, mortality, migration, and population scenarios for 195 countries and territories from 2017 to 2100: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study |journal=The Lancet |language=en |volume=396 |issue=10258 |pages=1285–1306 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30677-2 |pmc=7561721 |pmid=32679112}}</ref> These trends have led some researchers to claim that Japan is transforming into a "super-ageing" society in both rural and urban areas.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Muramatsu |first1=Naoko |last2=Akiyama |first2=Hiroko |date=1 August 2011 |title=Japan: Super-Aging Society Preparing for the Future |journal=The Gerontologist |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=425–432 |doi=10.1093/geront/gnr067 |pmid=21804114 |doi-access=free}}</ref> 
 
Japanese citizens largely view Japan as comfortable and modern, with no widespread sense of a "population crisis".<ref name=":0"/> The [[government of Japan|Japanese government]] has responded to concerns about the stresses demographic changes place on the [[Japanese economy|economy]] and [[Welfare in Japan|social services]] with policies intended to restore the [[fertility rate]] as well as increase the activity of the elderly in society.<ref name="yoshida">{{cite news|last1=Yoshida|first1=Reiji|title=Abe convenes panel to tackle low birthrate, aging population|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/10/29/national/politics-diplomacy/abe-convenes-panel-tackle-low-birthrate-aging-population/|access-date=21 February 2016|work=The Japan Times|date=29 October 2015}}</ref>

== Ageing dynamics ==
{{See|Demographics of Japan}}
[[File:Japan population pyramids 1888-2019.gif|thumb|300x300px|Japan's [[demographic transition]] 1888-2019]]

From 1974 to 2014, the number of [[Japanese people]] 65 years or older nearly quadrupled, accounting for 26% of Japan's population at 33 million individuals. In the same period, the proportion of children aged 14 and younger decreased from 24.3% in 1975 to 12.8% in 2014.<ref name="Nenkan">{{cite web |last1=Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication |first1=Statistics Bureau |title=Japan Statistical Yearbook, Chapter 2: Population and Households |url=http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/nenkan/1431-02.htm |access-date=13 January 2016}}</ref> The number of elderly people surpassed the number of children in 1997. Sales of [[adult diapers]] surpassed diapers for babies in 2014.<ref name="n">{{cite news|title=Fighting Population Decline, Japan Aims to Stay at 100 Million|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00057/|access-date=21 February 2016|work=Nippon.com|date=26 August 2014}}</ref> This change in the demographic makeup of Japanese society, referred to as [[population ageing]] (''{{lang|ja|kōreikashakai}}'', {{lang|ja|高齢化社会}}),<ref>{{cite book |last=Traphagan |first=John W. |title=Demographic Change and the Family in Japan's Aging Society| publisher =SUNY Press |series=Suny Series in Japan in Transition, SUNY Series in Aging and Culture, Suny Series in Japan in Transition and Suny Series in Aging and Culture |year=2003 |page=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnUh8lS1gPYC&pg=PA16 |isbn=978-0791456491}}</ref> has taken place in a shorter period of time than in any other country.

According to population projections based on the current fertility rate, individuals over the age of 65 will account for 40% of the population by 2060,<ref>{{cite news|title=Japan population to shrink by a third by 2060|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/30/japan-population-shrink-third|access-date=14 January 2016|work=The Guardian|date=30 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_GraphicalDisplay.aspx?ListNames=%22Population+65+or+More+as+Percent+of+Total%22&HistFor=False&GrpOp=0&Dim1=81&File=0 |title=Population of Japan, Aged 65 and older| author=International Futures | access-date = 2012-12-05|author-link=International Futures}}</ref> and the total population will fall by one-third from 128 million in 2010 to 87 million by 2060.<ref>[http://www.ipss.go.jp/site-ad/index_english/esuikei/ppfj2012.pdf ''Population Projections for Japan (January 2012): 2011 to 2060''], table 1-1 (National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, retrieved 13 January 2016).</ref> The proportion of old Japanese citizens will soon level off. However, due to stagnant birth rates, it is estimated that the proportion of young people (under the age of 19) in Japan will constitute only 13 percent in the year 2060, decreasing from 40 percent in 1960.<ref name="The Globe and Mail" />

Economists at [[Tohoku University]] established a countdown to national extinction, which projects that Japan will have only one remaining child in 4205.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Yoshida|first1=Hiroshi|last2=Ishigaki|first2=Masahiro|title=Web Clock of Child Population in Japan|url=http://mega.econ.tohoku.ac.jp/Children/index_en_2016.jsp|publisher=Mail Research Group, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University|access-date=14 March 2017|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718203854/http://mega.econ.tohoku.ac.jp/Children/index_en_2016.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref> These predictions prompted a pledge by Prime Minister [[Shinzō Abe]] to set a threshold for [[population decline]] at 100 million.<ref name="yoshida" /><ref name="n" />

==Causes==
[[File:Live births and deaths of Japan.svg|thumb|450px|Japan's [[Birth rate|birth]] and [[death rates]], The drop in 1966 was due to it being a [[Bingwu|''hinoe uma'']]: a year which is viewed as ill-omened in the [[Sexagenary cycle|Japanese Zodiac]].<ref>{{cite web|author =Clyde Haberman|date=1987-01-15|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/15/world/japan-s-zodiac-66-was-a-very-odd-year.html|title=Japan's Zodiac: '66 was a very odd year|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2018-05-14|author-link=Clyde Haberman}}</ref>]]

{{Further|Marriage in Japan}}
===High life expectancy===
Japan's life expectancy was 85.1 years in 2016:<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html | title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency | access-date=2017-04-06 | archive-date=2015-11-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116214230/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> 81.7 years for males and 88.5 years for females.<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/japan/ | title=East Asia/Southeast Asia :: Japan — the World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency| date=22 September 2022}}</ref> As Japan's overall population shrinks due to low fertility rates, the proportion of the elderly increases.<ref name="Population Aging and Life Expectancy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilcjapan.org/agingE/doc/POJ_2013_1.pdf|title=Population Aging and Aged Society: Population Aging and Life Expectancy|publisher=International Longevity Center Japan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321175609/http://www.ilcjapan.org/agingE/doc/POJ_2013_1.pdf |archive-date=March 21, 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=March 21, 2017}}</ref>

Life expectancy at birth increased rapidly from the end of [[Pacific War|World War II]] — when the average life expectancy was 54 years for women and 50 for men — and the percentage of the population aged 65 years and older has increased steadily since the 1950s. Japan is a well-known example, with close to 30 percent of its population aged 65 years or older.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What do demographic changes mean for labor supply? |url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/what-do-demographic-changes-mean-for-labor-supply- |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=World Bank Blogs |language=en}}</ref> The increase in life expectancy translated into a depressed [[mortality rate]] until the 1980s, but mortality has increased again to a historic high, since 1950, of 10.1 per 1000 people in 2013.<ref name="Nenkan" />

Factors such as improved nutrition, advanced medical and pharmacological technologies, and improved living conditions have all contributed to the longer-than-average life expectancy. Peace and prosperity following [[World War II]] were integral to the [[Japanese economic miracle|massive economic growth]] of [[post-war Japan]], contributing further to the population's longevity.<ref name="Population Aging and Life Expectancy" /> The proportion of healthcare spending has also dramatically increased as Japan's older population spends more time in [[hospital]]s and visiting [[Physician assistant|physicians]]. On any given day in 2011, 2.9% of people aged 75–79 were in a hospital, and 13.4% were visiting a physician.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ilcjapan.org/agingE/doc/POJ_2013_4.pdf |title=Health Status: Utilization of Health Care|publisher=International Longevity Center Japan|access-date=March 21, 2017}}</ref>

===Low fertility rate===
[[File:Births and Total fertility rate of Japan.svg|thumb|442x442px|[[ Total fertility rate]] and births of Japan]]
[[File:Percentage of birth to unmarried women, selected countries, 1980 and 2007.png|thumb|445x445px|The percentage of births to unmarried women in selected countries, 1980 and 2007.<ref name="non_mar1">{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db18.htm|title=Changing Patterns of Nonmarital Childbearing in the United States |work=CDC/National Center for Health Statistics|date=May 13, 2009|access-date=September 24, 2011}}</ref> As can be seen in the figure, Japan has not followed the trend of Western countries of children born outside of marriage to the same degree.]]

Japan's [[total fertility rate]], or TFR, the number of children born from each woman in her lifetime, has remained below the replacement threshold of 2.1 since 1974, and reached a historic low of 1.26 in 2005.<ref name=Nenkan /> In 2016, the TFR was 1.41 children born per woman.<ref name="cia.gov" /> Experts believe that signs of a slight recovery reflect the expiration of a "[[Sub-replacement fertility#Tempo effect|tempo effect]]," arising from a shift in the timing of children being born rather than any positive change.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Harding|first1=Robin|title=Japan birth rate recovery questioned|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d386b5a6-bb56-11e5-bf7e-8a339b6f2164.html|access-date=21 February 2016|work=Financial Times|date=4 February 2016}}</ref> 

===Economy and culture===

A range of economic and cultural factors contributed to the decline in childbirth during the late 20th century: later and fewer [[Marriage in Japan|marriages]], higher education, [[urbanization]], increase in [[nuclear family]] households (rather than the extended family), poor [[work–life balance|work-life balance]], increased participation of [[Women in Japan|women]] in the workforce, a decline in wages and [[Shūshin koyō|lifetime employment]], small [[Housing in Japan|living spaces]] and the high [[cost of raising a child]].<ref name=Handbook>{{cite book|author=((Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan))|title=Statistical Handbook of Japan 2014|url=http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c0117.htm|access-date=18 January 2016|chapter=Chapter 5}}</ref><ref name=Yamada>{{cite news|last1=Yamada|first1=Masahiro|title=Japan's Deepening Social Divides: Last Days for the "Parasite Singles"|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a01002/|access-date=14 January 2016|work=Nippon.com|date=3 August 2012}}</ref><ref name=Economist>{{cite news|title=Why the Japanese are having so few babies|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/07/economist-explains-16|access-date=14 January 2016|newspaper=The Economist|date=23 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Japanese Family System: Change, Continuity, and Regionality over the Twentieth century |url=http://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2013-004.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928055720/https://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2013-004.pdf |archive-date=2022-09-28 |url-status=live |last1=Kato |first1=Akihiko |publisher=[[Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research]]}}</ref>

Many young people face economic insecurity due to a lack of regular employment. About 40% of Japan's labor force is [[Haken (employment)|non-regular]], including [[part-time contract|part-time]] and [[temporary work]]ers.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/05/national/1-4-japanese-men-still-unmarried-age-50-report/ | title=1 in 4 men, 1 in 7 women in Japan still unmarried at age 50: Report| newspaper=The Japan Times Online| date=2017-04-05}}</ref> Non-regular employees earn about 53 percent less than regular ones on a comparable monthly basis, according to the [[Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare|Labor Ministry]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nohara|first1=Yoshiaki|title=Japan Labor Shortage Prompts Shift to Hiring Permanent Workers|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-30/japan-s-labor-shortage-prompts-grudging-turn-to-permanent-jobs|access-date=12 January 2018|work=Bloomberg|date=1 May 2017}}</ref> Young men in this group are less likely to consider marriage or to be married.<ref>IPSS, "Attitudes toward Marriage and Family among Japanese Singles" (2011), p. 4.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hoenig|first1=Henry|last2=Obe|first2=Mitsuru|title=Why Japan's Economy Is Laboring|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-japans-economy-is-laboring-1459929574|work=Wall Street Journal|date=8 April 2016}}</ref> Many young Japanese people also report that fatigue from overwork hinders their motivation to pursue romantic relationships.<ref name="Tired-women">{{cite news|last=Ishimura |first=Sawako |title=お疲れ女子の6割は恋愛したくない!?「疲労の原因」2位は仕事内容、1位は？(60% of tired women do not want to love!? "Cause of fatigue" second place work content, first place?)|url=https://cocoloni.jp/love/970105/|work=Cocoloni Inc.|date=October 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107045722/https://cocoloni.jp/love/970105/ |archive-date=January 7, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Tired-Dating">{{cite news|last=Shoji|first=Kaori |title=Women in Japan too tired to care about dating or searching for a partner|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/02/national/media-national/women-tired-care-dating-searching-partner/|work=The Japan Times|date=December 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107124014/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/02/national/media-national/women-tired-care-dating-searching-partner/ |archive-date=January 7, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2019}}</ref>

Although most married couples have two or more children,<ref>National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS). [http://www.ipss.go.jp/site-ad/index_english/nfs14/Nfs14_Couples_Eng.pdf "Marriage Process and Fertility of Japanese Married Couples."] (2011). pp. 9–14.</ref> a growing number of young people postpone or entirely reject marriage and parenthood. Conservative [[gender roles]] often mean that women are expected to stay home with the children rather than work.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/business/international/in-economic-revival-effort-japan-turns-to-its-women.html|title=The New York Times|last=Soble|first=Jonathan|date=January 1, 2015|access-date=March 20, 2017}}</ref> Between 1980 and 2010, the percentage of the population who had never married increased from 22% to almost 30%, even as the population continued to age,<ref name=Nenkan /> and by 2035 one in four men will not marry during their prime parenthood years.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Yoshida|first1=Reiji|title=Japan's population dilemma, in a single-occupancy nutshell|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/31/national/social-issues/japans-population-dilemma-single-occupancy-nutshell/|access-date=14 January 2016|work=The Japan Times|date=31 December 2015}}</ref> The Japanese sociologist [[Masahiro Yamada (sociologist)|Masahiro Yamada]] coined the term {{nihongo|[[parasite single]]s|パラサイトシングル|parasaito shinguru}} for unmarried women in their late 20s and 30s who continue to live with their parents.<ref name="Wiseman">{{cite news|last=Wiseman|first=Paul|title=No sex please we're Japanese|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-06-02-japan-women-usat_x.htm|access-date=May 10, 2012|newspaper=USA Today|date=2 June 2004}}</ref> 

A government survey released in June 2022 said that among singles, 46.4% desired to get married, while around a quarter explicitly preferred to remain single (26.5% of men and 25.4% of women).  Common reasons for forgoing marriage include the loss of freedom, financial burden, and housework. Hitherto unmarried women cited the burden of housework, childcare and nursing care as major reasons, with men citing financial and job instability. Some women also stated a desire not to change their surname.<ref name="mainichi1">{{cite web |website=Mainichi |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220614/p2g/00m/0na/034000c |title=1 in 4 singles aged in 30s in Japan unwilling to marry: gov't survey |date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616165949/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220614/p2g/00m/0na/034000c |archive-date=June 16, 2022}}</ref>

===Virginity and abstinence rates===

In 2015, 1 in 10 Japanese adults in their 30s reported having had no heterosexual sexual experiences. After accounting for people who may have had same-sex intercourse, researchers estimated that around 5 percent of people lack any sexual experience whatsoever.<ref>Cyrus Ghaznavi, Haruka Sakamoto, Daisuke Yoneoka, Shuhei Nomura, Kenji Shibuya, Peter Ueda. 2019. Trends in heterosexual inexperience among young adults in Japan: analysis of national surveys, 1987-2015. BMC Public Health. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6677-5</ref> The percentage of 18 to 39-year-old women without [[sexual experience]] was 24.6% in 2015, an increase from 21.7% in 1992. Likewise, the percentage of 18 to 39-year-old men without sexual experience was 25.8% in 2015, an increase from 20% in 1992. Men with stable jobs and a high income were found to be more likely to have sex, while low-income men were 10 to 20 times more likely to have had no sex experience. Conversely, women with lower income were more likely to have had intercourse.<ref name="Virgin-Rates-Japan">{{cite news|last=Shibuya|first=Kenji|title=First national estimates of virginity rates in Japan|url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/en/press/z0508_00035.html|newspaper=The University of Tokyo|date=8 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408220214/https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/en/press/z0508_00035.html |archive-date=April 8, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref>{{efn|The data on sexual experience is only for heterosexual intercourse; the study did not collect data on homosexual experience.}} Men who are unemployed are eight times more likely to be virgins, and men who are part-time or temporary employed had a four times higher virginity rate.<ref name="Virginity-Crisis">{{cite news|last=Shibuya|first=Kenji|title=Let's Talk About (No) Sex: A Closer Look at Japan's 'Virginity Crisis'|url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/04/lets-talk-about-no-sex-a-closer-look-at-japans-virginity-crisis/|newspaper=The Diplomat|date=8 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419114920/https://thediplomat.com/2019/04/lets-talk-about-no-sex-a-closer-look-at-japans-virginity-crisis/ |archive-date=April 19, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2019}}</ref>

According to a 2010 survey, 61% of single Japanese men in their 20s, and 70% of single Japanese men in their 30s, call themselves "[[herbivore men]]" (s''ōshoku danshi''), meaning that they are not interested in getting married or having a girlfriend.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harney|first=Alexandra|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2009/06/the_herbivores_dilemma.html|title=Japan panics about the rise of "herbivores"—young men who shun sex, don't spend money, and like taking walks. - Slate Magazine|date=15 June 2009|publisher=Slate.com|access-date=20 August 2012}}</ref>

A 2022 survey by the Japanese Cabinet Office found that around 40% of unmarried Japanese men in their 20s have never been on a date.<ref name="dasurv"/> By comparison, 25% of young adult women said they never dated.<ref name="dasurv"/> It is estimated that 5% of married men and women who have had zero dating partners have used ''konkatsu'' (short for ''kekkon katsudo'', or marriage hunting, a series of strategies and events similar to finding employment) services to find a spouse.<ref name="dasurv">{{cite web |url=https://soranews24.com/2022/06/15/roughly-40-percent-of-japanese-men-in-their-20s-have-never-been-on-a-date-government-survey-says/ |title=Roughly 40 percent of single Japanese men in their 20s have never been on a date, survey says |date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615115031/https://soranews24.com/2022/06/15/roughly-40-percent-of-japanese-men-in-their-20s-have-never-been-on-a-date-government-survey-says/ |archive-date=June 15, 2022}}</ref>

==Effects==
[[File:Japan Age Makeup 1920-2010 with Projection to 2060.png|thumb|450px|Japan's demographic age composition from 1940 to 2010, with projections out to 2060]]
Demographic trends are altering relations within and across generations, creating new government responsibilities and changing many aspects of Japanese social life. The aging and decline of the working-age population has triggered concerns about the future of the nation's workforce, potential economic growth, and the solvency of the [[Japan Pension Service|national pension]] and [[Health care system in Japan|healthcare services]].<ref>Hashimoto, Ryutaro (attributed). [http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/japan/socsec/aging.html General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aging Society]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved 2011-3-5.</ref>

===Social===
A smaller population could make the country's crowded metropolitan areas more livable, and the stagnation of economic output might still benefit a shrinking workforce. However, low birth rates and high life expectancy have also inverted the standard [[population pyramid]], forcing a narrowing base of young people to provide and care for a bulging older cohort, even as they try to form families of their own.<ref name="soble">{{cite news|last1=Soble|first1=Jonathan|title=Japan Lost Nearly a Million People in 5 Years, Census Says|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/27/world/asia/japan-confirms-a-decline-in-population.html|access-date=27 February 2016|work=New York Times|date=26 February 2016}}</ref> In 2014, the [[Dependency ratio|age dependency ratio]] (the ratio of people over 65 to those aged 15–65, indicating the ratio of the dependent elderly population to those of working age) was 40%.<ref name=Nenkan /> This is expected to increase to 60% by 2036 and to nearly 80% by 2060.<ref>[http://www.ipss.go.jp/site-ad/index_english/esuikei/ppfj2012.pdf ''Population Projections for Japan (January 2012): 2011 to 2060''], table 1-4 (National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, retrieved 13 January 2016).</ref>

[[File:Dementia Prevalence in OECD.svg|thumb|right|400px|The prevalence of [[dementia]] in OECD countries, per 1,000 population, 2021]]
Elderly Japanese have traditionally entrusted themselves with the care of their adult children, and government policies still encourage the creation of {{Nihongo|''sansedai kazoku''|三世代家族||"three-generation households"}}, where a married couple cares for both children and parents. In 2015, 177,600 people between the ages of 15 and 29 were caring directly for an older family member.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Oi|first1=Mariko|title=Who will look after Japan's elderly?|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31901943|access-date=23 February 2016|work=BBC|date=16 March 2015}}</ref> However, the migration of young people into Japan's major cities, the entrance of women into the workforce, and the increasing cost of care for both young and old dependents have required new solutions, including [[Nursing home care|nursing homes]], [[adult daycare center]]s, and home health programs.<ref name=Kelly>{{cite book |last1=Kelly |chapter=Finding a Place in Metropolitan Japan: Transpositions of Everyday Life |pages=189–238 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4botSGbxZBIC&pg=PA189 |first1=William |editor1-last=Gordon |editor1-first=Andrew |year=1993 |title=Postwar Japan as History |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-07475-0 }}</ref> Every year, Japan closes 400 primary and secondary schools, converting some of them to care centers for the elderly.<ref>{{cite news|last1=McNeill|first1=David|title=Falling Japanese population puts focus on low birth rate|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/falling-japanese-population-puts-focus-on-low-birth-rate-1.2450457|access-date=24 February 2016|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=2 December 2015}}</ref>

In 2008, it was recorded that there were approximately 6,000 special nursing homes available that cared for 420,000 Japanese elders.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Trends and Factors in Japan's Long-term Care Insurance System: Japan's 10-year Experience|last=Olivares-Tirado|first=Pedro|publisher=Springer|year=2014|isbn=978-94-007-7874-0|pages=80–130}}</ref> With many nursing homes in Japan, the demand for more caregivers is high. Nonetheless, [[family caregivers]] are preferred in Japan as the main caregiver, and it is predicted that Japanese elderly people can perform [[activities of daily living]] (ADLs) with fewer assistance and live longer if their main caregiver is related to them.<ref name=":2" />

Many elderly people live alone and isolated. Every year, thousands of deaths go unnoticed for days or even weeks, a modern phenomenon known as {{Nihongo|''[[kodokushi|kodoku-shi]]''|孤独死||"solitary death"}}.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bremner|first1=Matthew|title=The Lonely End|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/roads/2015/06/kodokushi_in_aging_japan_thousands_die_alone_and_unnoticed_every_year_their.html|access-date=21 February 2016|work=Slate|date=26 June 2015}}</ref> During the first half of 2024, the [[National Police Agency (Japan)|National Police Agency]] reported that 37,227 individuals living alone were found dead at home, with 70% of these being aged 65 and above, and nearly 4,000 bodies discovered more than a month after death, including 130 that remained unnoticed for at least a year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Khalil |first1=Hafsa |title=Japan: Nearly 4,000 people found more than month after dying alone, report says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyx6wwp5d5o |website=BBC |access-date=31 August 2024 |date=30 August 2024}}</ref>

The disposable income in Japan's older population has increased business in biomedical technologies research in cosmetics and regenerative medicine.<ref name="The Globe and Mail"/>

===Political===
The [[Greater Tokyo Area]] is virtually the only locality in Japan to see population growth, mostly due to internal migration from other parts of the country. Between 2005 and 2010, the population of 36 of Japan's [[Prefectures of Japan|47 prefectures]] shrank by as much as 5%.<ref name=Nenkan /> Many rural and suburban areas are struggling with an epidemic of abandoned homes, 8 million across Japan in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Otake|first1=Tomoko|title=Abandoned homes a growing menace|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/07/national/abandoned-homes-a-growing-menace/|access-date=27 February 2016|work=The Japan Times|date=7 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Soble|first1=Jonathan|title=A Sprawl of Ghost Homes in Aging Tokyo Suburbs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/24/world/a-sprawl-of-abandoned-homes-in-tokyo-suburbs.html|access-date=27 February 2016|work=New York Times|date=23 August 2015}}</ref> Masuda Hiroya, a former [[Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications]] who heads the private think tank Japan Policy Council, estimated that about half the [[Municipalities of Japan|municipalities]] in Japan could disappear between now and 2040 due to the migration of young people, especially young women, from rural areas into [[Tokyo]], [[Osaka]], and [[Nagoya]], where around half of Japan's population is currently concentrated.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tadashi|first1=Hitora|title=Slowing the Population Drain From Japan's Regions|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/column/g00189/|access-date=24 February 2016|work=Nippon.com|date=25 August 2014}}</ref> The government is establishing a regional revitalization task force and focusing on developing regional hub cities, especially [[Sapporo]], [[Sendai]], [[Hiroshima]] and [[Fukuoka]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Abe to target revitalization at regional level|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/21/national/politics-diplomacy/abe-to-target-revitalization-at-regional-level/|access-date=24 February 2016|work=The Japan Times|agency=Jiji|date=21 July 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Abandoned House Collapsed from snow Hokkaido.jpg|thumb|An abandoned home in [[Yūbari District, Hokkaido|Yubari district, Hokkaido]], an area which has seen population decline]]
[[Internal migration]] and population decline have created a severe regional imbalance in [[Elections in Japan|electoral power]], where the weight of a single vote depends on where it was cast. Some depopulated districts send three times as many representatives per voter to the [[National Diet]] as their growing urban counterparts. In 2014, the [[Supreme Court of Japan]] declared that the disparities in voting power violates the [[Constitution of Japan|Constitution]], but the ruling [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]], which relies on rural and older voters, has been slow to make the necessary realignment.<ref name=soble /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Masunaga|first1=Hidetoshi|title=The Quest for Voting Equality in Japan|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a02303/|access-date=27 February 2016|work=Nippon.com|date=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Takenaka|first1=Harukata|title=Weighing Vote Disparity in Japan's Upper House|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a04401/|access-date=27 February 2016|work=Nippon.com|date=30 July 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Social benefits for elderly in Japan.svg|thumb|300px|Social benefits for the elderly in Japan, 2022]]
The increasing proportion of elderly people has a major impact on government spending and policies. As recently as the early 1970s, the cost of public pensions, healthcare, and welfare services for the aged amounted to only about 6% of Japan's [[Gross national income|national income]]. In 1992, that figure increased to 18%, and it is expected to increase to 28% in 2025.<ref name="WP">{{cite news|last1=Faiola|first1=Anthony|title=The Face of Poverty Ages In Rapidly Graying Japan|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072701856.html|access-date=21 February 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=28 July 2006}}</ref> Healthcare and pension systems are also expected to come under severe strain. In the mid-1980s, the government began to re-evaluate the relative burdens of government and the private sector in [[health care]] and [[pension]]s, and it established policies to control government costs in these programs.

The large share of elderly, inflation-averse voters may hinder the political attractiveness of higher inflation, consistent with empirical evidence that aging leads to lower inflation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yamada |first=Kyohei |last2=Park |first2=Gene |date=2022 |title=Aging and the politics of monetary policy in Japan |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/japanese-journal-of-political-science/article/abs/aging-and-the-politics-of-monetary-policy-in-japan/3D52E208A5BD464747266318E9B2A5C6 |journal=Japanese Journal of Political Science |language=en |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=333–349 |doi=10.1017/S1468109922000226 |issn=1468-1099}}</ref> Japan's aging is a major factor in the nation bearing one of the highest [[public debt|public debts]] in the world at 246.14% of its [[Gross domestic product|GDP]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-population-drop-39-million-2065-birth-rate-plummet-children-demographic-timebomb-a7678116.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413024834/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-population-drop-39-million-2065-birth-rate-plummet-children-demographic-timebomb-a7678116.html |archive-date=2017-04-13 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Japan's population set to plummet by 40 million in a generation|date=2017-04-11|work=The Independent|access-date=2018-03-13|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":52">{{Cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/07/the-20-countries-with-the-greatest-public-debt/|title=The 20 countries with the greatest public debt|website=World Economic Forum|date=16 July 2015 |access-date=2018-04-04}}</ref> The aging and shrinking population has also created serious recruitment challenges for the Japan Self-Defense Forces.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Le |first=Tom Phuong |url=https://cup.columbia.edu/book/japans-aging-peace/9780231199797 |title=Japan's Aging Peace: Pacifism and Militarism in the Twenty-First Century |date=2021 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-55328-5}}</ref> 

===Economic===
{{main|Economy of Japan}}
[[File:GDP growth rate in Japan.svg|400px|thumb|The real GDP growth rate in Japan, 1961 to 2022]]

From the 1980s onwards, there has been an increase in older-age workers and a shortage of young workers in Japan's [[workforce]], owing to factors such as [[Japanese work environment|Japanese employment practices]] and the professional [[Women in Japan#Professional life|participation of women]]. The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] estimated in 2002 that Japan would experience an 18% decrease of young workers in its workforce and an 8% decrease in its [[consumer]] population by 2030. The [[Labor market of Japan|Japanese labor market]] is currently under pressure to meet demands for workers, with 125 jobs for every 100 [[Job hunting|job seekers]] at the end of 2015, as older generations retire and younger professionals become fewer.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Warnock|first1=Eleanor|title=Japan consumer prices up, but spending sluggish|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/japan-consumer-prices-up-but-spending-sluggish-2015-12-24|access-date=21 February 2016|work=Market Watch|date=24 December 2015}}</ref>

Japan made a radical change to its healthcare system by introducing long-term-care insurance in 2000.<ref name="The Globe and Mail"/> The government has also invested in medical technologies such as regenerative medicines and cell therapy to recruit and retain more of the older population into the workforce.<ref name="The Globe and Mail" /> A range of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have also pioneered new practices for retaining workers beyond mandatory retirement ages, such as through workplace improvements as well as job tasks specifically created for older workers.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Prolonging working life in Japan: Issues and practices for elderly employment in an aging society|journal=Contemporary Japan |date=2018 |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=227–242 |doi = 10.1080/18692729.2018.1504530|last1 = Martine|first1 = Julien|last2=Jaussaud |first2=Jacques |s2cid=169746160 |url=https://hal-univ-pau.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02140252 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Japanese companies increased the [[Elderly people in Japan#Aging and retirement of the labor force|mandatory retirement age]] from 55 to as high as 65 during the 1980s and 1990s, with many firms allowing employees to work beyond the retirement age.<ref>Nomura, Kyoko; and Koizumi, Akio. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5136603/ "Strategy against aging society with declining birthrate in Japan"], ''Industrial Health'', December 7, 2016. Accessed January 18, 2024. "Mounting labor shortages in the 1980 s and 90s led many Japanese companies to increase the mandatory retirement age from 55 to 60 or 65, and today, many allow their employees to continue working after official retirement."</ref> The government has gradually increased the age at which pension benefits begin from 60 to 65.<ref>Rajnes, David. [https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v67n3/v67n3p89.html "The Evolution of Japanese Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans"], ''Social Security Bulletin'', November 3, 2007. Accessed January 18, 2024. "The current eligible age for full EPI benefits will rise from age 60 to age 65 in the coming decades. For men, the earliest age to receive retirement benefits will increase by 1 year every 3 years from 2013 until it reaches age 65 in 2025; for women, the earliest age to receive benefits will rise by 1 year every 3 years starting in 2018 until it reaches age 65 in 2030 (Kabe 2006)."</ref> Shortfalls in the pension system have driven many people of retirement age to remain in the workforce, with some elderly individuals being driven into poverty.<ref>Siripala, Thisanka. [https://thediplomat.com/2023/01/surviving-old-age-is-getting-harder-in-japan/ "Surviving Old Age Is Getting Harder in Japan; Seniors living in poverty or working to supplement their income are on the rise as Japan's public pension system cracks under a super aging society."], ''[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]'', January 19, 2023. Accessed January 18, 2024. "Japan's poverty line survey conducted in 2019 determined that a minimum annual income of approximately $10,000 is needed to purchase daily essentials. However, seniors over 65 receive an annual basic pension of roughly $6,000 or $460 each month, which is not enough to cover daily expenses. Women are disproportionately vulnerable to poverty in old age compared to their male counterparts."</ref>

The retirement age may go even higher in the future if the proportion of the elderly increases. A study by the [[United Nations|UN]] [[United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs|Population Division]] in 2000 found that Japan would need to raise its [[retirement age]] to 77 (or allow net [[immigration]] of 17 million by 2050) to maintain its worker-to-retiree ratio.<ref name="c">{{cite web |author=<!-- Unknown --> |year=2000 |title=Aging Populations in Europe, Japan, Korea, Require Action |url=http://www.globalaging.org/health/world/overall.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201192143/http://www.globalaging.org/health/world/overall.htm |archive-date=2007-12-01 |access-date=2007-12-15 |publisher=India Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/migration/japan.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623041246/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/migration/japan.pdf |archive-date=2017-06-23 |access-date=2017-06-28}}</ref> Consistent immigration into Japan may prevent further population decline, and many academics have argued for Japan to develop policies to support large influxes of young immigrants.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schlesinger |first=Jacob M. |year=2015 |title=Aging Gracefully: entrepreneurs and exploring robotics and other innovations to unleash the potential of the elderly. |journal=WSJ |pages=1–15}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Less desirable industries, such as [[Agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Japan|agriculture]] and [[Construction industry of Japan|construction]], face the most severe threats. The average farmer in Japan is 70 years old;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Harding|first1=Robin|title=Japan seeks to bank on global appetite for sushi and wagyu beef|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/dbc2adb2-d85a-11e5-a72f-1e7744c66818.html|access-date=23 February 2016|work=Financial Times|date=21 February 2016}}</ref> while about a third of construction workers are 55 or older, including many expected to retire in the next ten years, only one in ten is younger than 30.<ref>{{cite news|title=Builders face lack of young workers|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/23/national/builders-face-lack-of-young-workers/|access-date=23 February 2016|work=The Japan Times|agency=Kyodo|date=23 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Takami|first1=Kosuke|last2=Wamoto|first2=Takako|last3=Itsuki|first3=Kotaro|title=Young laborer shortage growing dire on Japan's construction sites|url=http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Young-laborer-shortage-growing-dire-on-Japan-s-construction-sites|date=22 February 2014}}</ref> The decline in the working population has also caused the nation's military to shrink.<ref name="The Globe and Mail" /> 

The decline in working-aged cohorts may lead to a shrinking economy if productivity does not increase faster than the rate of Japan's decreasing workforce.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|807974249}} |title=Into the unknown |newspaper=The Economist |volume=397 |issue=8709 |date=20 Nov 2010 |pages=SS3–SS4 }}</ref> The [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]] estimates that similar labor shortages in [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Italy]], [[Spain]], and [[Sweden]] will depress the [[European Union]]'s economic growth by 0.4 percentage points annually from 2000 to 2025, after which shortages will cost the EU 0.9 percentage points in growth. In Japan, labor shortages will lower growth by 0.7% annually until 2025, after which Japan will experience an annual 0.9% loss in growth.<ref name="f">{{cite web|author=Paul S. Hewitt |year=2002 |url=http://www.globalaging.org/health/world/depopulationeuropejapan.htm |title=Depopulation and Ageing in Europe and Japan: The Hazardous Transition to a Labor Shortage Economy |publisher=International Politics and Society |access-date=2007-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227192352/http://www.globalaging.org/health/world/depopulationeuropejapan.htm |archive-date=27 December 2007 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

==Places with high birthrates==
===Nagareyama===
The city [[Nagareyama]] in [[Chiba Prefecture]] is 30 kilometers from [[Tokyo]].<ref name=nagareyama/> In the early 2000s, Nagareyama experienced an exodus of young people, due to lack of childcare facilities.<ref name=nagareyama/> In 2003, then-mayor Yoshiharu Izaki made investments in childcare centers a primary focus of the city's spending, developing infrastructure such as a transit service at [[Nagareyama-centralpark Station]] where parents can drop off their children on their way to work, following which children are shuttled to day-care centers by buses, driven by local seniors, and a summer camp for children while their parents work during holidays.<ref name=nagareyama/> These initiatives have lured young working parents from Tokyo to Nagareyama. The city's population grew over 20% between 2006 and 2019, with many parents listing childcare as one of the main reasons of the move.<ref name=nagareyama/> 85% of families in the city have more than one child, and young children are expected to outnumber the elderly in the near future.<ref name=nagareyama>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMA3eDNS0jw |title=Japan Baby Boom: City's policies turn around population decline |publisher=TRT World |date=2019-09-14 |access-date=2019-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925072955/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMA3eDNS0jw |archive-date=25 September 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nikkeiasia"/>

===Matsudo and Akashi===
[[Matsudo]] city in [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]] has had a population increase of 3.1% since 2015. The increase is said to arise from day-care centers near or inside train stations, which are without waiting lists, and co-working spaces that include childcare rooms.<ref name="nikkeiasia"/>

The population of [[Akashi, Hyōgo|Akashi]] in [[Hyōgo Prefecture|Hyōgo]] grew 3.6%. This is attributed to a childcare facility with a large indoor playground near the local JR train station built in 2017. A subscription service in the region also includes free deliveries of infant necessities, such as diapers.<ref name="nikkeiasia">{{cite web |title=Not all Japanese towns are shrinking: 300 show how it's done |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Not-all-Japanese-towns-are-shrinking-300-show-how-it-s-done |website=Nikkei |date=June 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626032015/https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Not-all-Japanese-towns-are-shrinking-300-show-how-it-s-done |archive-date=June 26, 2021}}</ref>

===West Japan===
[[File:TFR (Japan).png|thumb|280px|Japanese prefectures by total fertility rate (TFR), 2021]]
Western Japan ([[Kyushu]], [[Chūgoku region]], and [[Shikoku]]) has a higher birth rate than Central and Eastern Japan.<ref>[https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO31285780R00C18A6LX0000/ 出生率 九州5県で上昇 昨年 「西高東低」傾向鮮明に]</ref> 13 of the 15 prefectures with a TFR of 1.45 or higher are all located in the Kyushu, Chugoku regions or Shikoku, with the other two prefectures being Fukui and Saga.<ref name=":3">[https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/saikin/hw/jinkou/geppo/nengai20/dl/h9.pdf 令和2年(2020)人口動態統計月報年計（概数）の概況]</ref> Prefectures with a low TFR are concentrated in eastern or northern Japan.<ref name=":3" />

====Okinawa Prefecture====
[[Okinawa prefecture]] has had the highest birth rate in Japan for over 40 years since recording began in 1899. In 2018, the prefecture was the only one with a natural population increase, with 15,732 births and 12,157 deaths. While the national average fertility rate that year was 1.42, with Tokyo having the lowest rate of 1.20, Okinawa had a rate of 1.89.<ref>[https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/07/national/number-newborns-japan-fell-low-918397-2018-government-survey/ Number of newborns in Japan fell to record low while population dropped faster than ever in 2018]</ref> The average age of marriage is lower in Okinawa, at 30 years for men and 28.8 years for women; the national average is 31.1 years for men and 29.4 years for women.<ref name=okinawa-scmp/>

Reasons for families tending to have more than two children include Okinawan social norms, cheaper costs of living, as well as lower stress, and competition education levels, despite Okinawa having less welfare for children compared to other regions in Japan. The Okinawan culture also emphasises a form of mutual aid called {{transliteration|ja|yuimaru}}, with relatives living close together to help family members with childrearing. Okinawa also has increasing numbers of {{transliteration|ja|ikumen}}; fathers who are actively involved in parenting.<ref name=okinawa-scmp>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3042812/fertility-secrets-okinawa-give-birth-hope-sexless |title=Fertility secrets of Okinawa give birth to hope in sexless, ageing Japan |publisher=South China Morning Post |author=Elizabeth Lee |date=2019-12-21 |access-date=2019-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225142107/https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3042812/fertility-secrets-okinawa-give-birth-hope-sexless |archive-date=25 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Government policies==
{{Main|Family policy in Japan}}

The [[Government of Japan|Japanese government]] has developed policies to encourage fertility and retain more of its population, especially women and the elderly, in the workforce.<ref name="kantei">{{cite web|title=Urgent Policies to Realize a Society in Which All Citizens are Dynamically Engaged|url=http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/topics/2015/ichiokusoukatsuyaku/kinkyujisshitaisaku_en.pdf|website=Kantei (Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet)|access-date=24 February 2016}}</ref> Incentives for family formation include expanded childcare avenues, new benefits for those who have children, and a state-sponsored dating service.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16500768 | work=BBC News | title=Young Japanese 'decline to fall in love' | date=2012-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ghosh|first1=Palash|title=Japan Encourages Young People To Date And Mate To Reverse Birth Rate Plunge, But It May Be Too Late|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/japan-encourages-young-people-date-mate-reverse-birth-rate-plunge-it-may-be-too-late-1562867|access-date=24 February 2016|work=International Business Times|date=21 March 2014}}</ref> Policies focused on engaging more [[Women in Japan|women]] in the workplace include longer [[maternity leave]] and legal protections against [[pregnancy discrimination]], known in Japan as {{nihongo|''matahara''|マタハラ||maternity harassment}}.<ref name="kantei" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rodionova|first1=Zlata|title=Half of Japanese women workers fall victim to 'maternity harassment' after pregnancy|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/half-of-japanese-women-workers-fall-victim-to-maternity-harassment-after-pregnancy-a6736386.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117145903/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/half-of-japanese-women-workers-fall-victim-to-maternity-harassment-after-pregnancy-a6736386.html |archive-date=2015-11-17 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=24 February 2016|work=The Independent|date=16 November 2015}}</ref> However, "Womenomics", the set of policies intended to bring more women into the workplace as part of Prime Minister [[Shinzō Abe]]'s [[Abenomics|economic recovery plan]], has struggled to overcome cultural barriers and entrenched stereotypes.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chen|first1=Emily S.|title=When Womenomics Meets Reality|url=https://thediplomat.com/2015/10/when-womenomics-meets-reality/|access-date=21 February 2016|work=The Diplomat|date=6 October 2015}}</ref>

These policies could prove useful for bringing women back into the workforce after having children, but academics have noted that they can also merely encourage productivity among women who opt not to have children. The Japanese government has introduced other policies to address the growing elderly population as well, especially in rural areas, where the government has tried to improve [[welfare spending|welfare]] services such as long-term care facilities and other services that can help families at homes, such as daycare or in-home nursing assistance. The Gold Plan was introduced in 1990 to improve these services and has attempted to reduce the burden of care placed on families; [[long-term care insurance]] was introduced in 2000.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tanaka |first1=Kimiko |last2=Iwasawa |first2=Miho |title=Aging in Rural Japan—Limitations in the Current Social Care Policy |journal=Journal of Aging & Social Policy |date=30 September 2010 |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=394–406 |doi=10.1080/08959420.2010.507651 |pmid=20924894 |pmc=2951623 }}</ref>

On June 13, 2023, Kishida's cabinet determined the implementation of the "Strategic Policy for Children's Future" at a meeting in order to implement countermeasures against the declining birthrate under a different angle. Kishida's government intends to establish the "All Children's Daycare System (tentative name), to be carried out through 2024. This system will allow fathers to flexibly take vacational leaves that can be used flexibly on hourly bases, regardless of working conditions. The aim is to have this system in full-scale implementation in 2025. In addition, child allowances will be raised: The allowance for the first and second children will be 15,000 yen per month for those between the ages of 0 and 3, and 10,000 yen per month for those between the ages of 3 and high school age. For the third and subsequent children, the monthly amount will be 30,000 yen for all children from age 0 to high school age.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-13 |title=児童手当の拡充は24年10月から...岸田首相が会見、出産費用の保険適用は26年度導入 |url=https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20230613-OYT1T50147/ |access-date=2023-09-18 |website=読売新聞オンライン |language=ja}}</ref>

=== Immigration ===
{{Main|Immigration to Japan}}
A net decline in population due to a historically [[Marriage in Japan#Marriage and fertility|low birth rate]] has raised the issue of immigration as a way to compensate for [[Shortage#Labor shortage|labor shortages]].<ref name=":13">{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/01/asia/japan-migrants-immigration/index.html|title=Can Japan survive without immigrants?|last1=Jozuka|first1=Emiko|last2=Ogura|first2=Junko|work=CNN|access-date=2023-06-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Brasor |first1=Philip |title=Proposed reform to Japan's immigration law causes concern |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/10/27/national/media-national/proposed-reform-japans-immigration-law-causes-concern/ |access-date=24 November 2018 |work=Japan Times |date=27 October 2018}}</ref> Professor Noriko Tsuya, of Keio University, states that it is not realistic to combat Japan's low birthrate with the increase of immigration. The government should keep working to further help women and couples balance their work and family roles in order to boost fertility.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tsuya |first=Noriko |date=2022-10-26 |title=Will Japan's population shrink or swim? |url=https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2022/10/26/will-japans-population-shrink-or-swim/ |journal=East Asia Forum |language=en}}</ref> While public opinion polls tend to show low support for immigration, most people support an expansion in [[Working age|working-age]] [[Immigration|migrants]] on a temporary basis to maintain Japan's economic status.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201504180035.html |title=51% of Japanese support immigration, double from 2010 survey - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun |publisher=Ajw.asahi.com |access-date=2015-09-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Facchini |first1=Giovanni |last2=Margalit |first2=Yotam |last3=Nakata |first3=Hiroyuki |title=Countering Public Opposition to Immigration: The Impact of Information Campaigns |journal=[[IZA Institute of Labor Economics]] |date=December 2016 |url=https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/10420/countering-public-opposition-to-immigration-the-impact-of-information-campaigns }}</ref> Comparative reviews show that Japanese attitudes are broadly neutral and place Japanese acceptance of migrants in the middle of [[Developed country|developed countries]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Simon |first1=Rita J. |last2=Lynch |first2=James P. |title=A Comparative Assessment of Public Opinion toward Immigrants and Immigration Policies |journal=International Migration Review |date=June 1999 |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=455–467 |doi=10.1177/019791839903300207 |jstor=2547704 |pmid=12319739 |s2cid=13523118 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/216377/new-index-shows-least-accepting-countries-migrants.aspx |title=New Index Shows Least, Most Accepting Countries for Migrants |date=23 August 2017 |access-date=2018-10-25}}</ref> 

Japan's government is also trying to increase tourism rates, which helps their
economy. The government has also expanded options available for international students, allowing them to begin work and potentially stay in Japan to help the economy. Existing initiatives such as the [[JET Program]] encourage English-speaking people from across the world to work in Japan as English language teachers. 

Japan is strict when accepting refugees into their country. Only 27 out of 7,500 refugee applicants were accepted into Japan in 2015. However, Japan provides high levels of foreign and [[humanitarian aid]].<ref name=":23">{{Cite news|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/its-population-ages-japan-quietly-turns-immigration|title=As Its Population Ages, Japan Quietly Turns to Immigration|last=Green|first=David|date=2017-03-27|work=migrationpolicy.org|access-date=2018-03-13|language=en}}</ref> In 2016, there was a 44% increase in [[asylum seeker]]s to Japan from Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines. Since Japan does not generally permit low-skilled workers to enter, many people went through the asylum route instead. This allowed immigrants to apply for asylum and begin work six months after the application. However, it did not allow foreigners without valid visas to apply for work.<ref name=":13" />

=== Work-life balance ===
{{Further|Japanese work environment|Salaryman}}

Japan has expanded its policies on work-life balance with the goal of improving the conditions for increasing birth rate, with the passing of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law, which took effect in June 2010.<ref name="mhlw.go.jp">Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Introduction to the Revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Law," http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/index.html, accessed May 22, 2011.</ref> The law provides parents the opportunity to take up to one year of leave after the birth of a child, with the possibility to extend the leave for another six months if the child is not accepted to a nursery school. It also allows employees with preschool-age children the following allowances: up to five days of leave in the event of a child's injury or sickness; limits on the amount of overtime in excess of 24 hours per month based on an employee's request; limits on working late at night based on an employee's request; and opportunities for shorter working hours and flex time for employees.<ref name="hellowork.go.jp">Japanese government's Employment Service Center "雇用継続給付" https://www.hellowork.go.jp/insurance/insurance_continue.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112023958/https://www.hellowork.go.jp/insurance/insurance_continue.html |date=2020-11-12 }}, Retrieved April 24, 2017</ref>

The laws stated aims were to, in the following decade, increase the female employment rate from 65% to 72%, decrease the percentage of employees working 60 hours or more per week from 11% to 6%, increase the rate of use of annual paid leave from 47% to 100%, increase the rate of child care leave from 72% to 80% for females and .6% to 10% for men, and increase the hours spent by men on childcare and housework in households with a child under six years of age from 1 hour to 2.5 hours a day.<ref name="mhlw.go.jp" />

==Comparisons with other countries==

Japan's population is [[Aging population|aging]] faster than any other country on the planet.<ref>{{cite news|title=Japan's demography: The incredible shrinking country|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/03/japans-demography|access-date=14 January 2016|newspaper=The Economist|date=25 March 2014}}</ref> The population of those 65 years or older roughly doubled in 24 years, from 7.1% of the population in 1970 to 14.1% in 1994. The same increase took 61 years in [[Demographics of Italy|Italy]], 85 years in [[Demographics of Sweden|Sweden]], and 115 years in [[Demographics of France|France]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistical Handbook of Japan|url=http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c0117.htm|publisher=Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication|access-date=14 January 2016|date=2015}}</ref> Life expectancy for women in Japan is 87 years, five years more than that of the U.S.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Jacob M. Schlesinger and Alexander |title=Graying Japan Tries to Embrace the Golden Years |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/graying-japan-tries-to-embrace-the-golden-years-1448808028 |work=Wall Street Journal |date=29 November 2015 }}</ref> Men in Japan have a life expectancy of 81 years, four years more than that of the U.S.<ref name=":1" /> Japan has more [[centenarian]]s than any other country, 58,820 in 2014, or 42.76% per 100,000 people. Almost one in five of the world's centenarians live in Japan, and 87% of them are women.<ref>{{cite news|title=Centenarians in Japan: 50,000-Plus and Growing|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00110/|access-date=21 February 2016|work=Nippon.com|date=1 June 2015}}</ref>

In contrast to Japan, a more open [[immigration]] policy has allowed [[Immigration to Australia|Australia]], [[Immigration to Canada|Canada]], and the [[Immigration to the United States|United States]] to grow their workforce despite low fertility rates.<ref name=f /> An expansion of [[Immigration to Japan|immigration]] is often rejected as a solution to population decline by Japan's political leaders and people for reasons including the fear of foreign crime and a desire to preserve cultural traditions.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Burgess|first1=Chris|title=Japan's 'no immigration principle' looking as solid as ever|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/06/18/voices/japans-immigration-principle-looking-solid-ever/|access-date=21 February 2016|work=The Japan Times|date=18 June 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Japan's Aging Population .gif|thumb|424x424px|Japan's elderly percentage, in comparison with the U.S., 1990 to 2008]]
As recently developed nations continue to experience improved health care and lower fertility rates, the growth of the elderly population will continue to rise. In 1970–1975, only 19 countries had a fertility rate that can be considered below-replacement fertility, and there were no countries with exceedingly low fertility (<1.3 children). However, between 2000 and 2005, there were 65 countries with below-replacement fertility, and 17 with exceedingly low fertility.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Naohiro Ogawa; Rikiya Matsukura |date=2007 |title=Ageing in Japan: The health and wealth of older persons |url=http://www.un.org/esa/population/meetings/Proceedings_EGM_Mex_2005/ogawa.pdf |access-date=28 February 2018 |website=un.org}}</ref> 

Historically, European countries have had the largest elderly populations by proportion as they became developed nations earlier, experiencing subsequent drops in fertility rates. However, many Asian and Latin American countries, including [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]] and [[Mexico]], are quickly catching up to this trend. As of 2015, 22 of the 25 oldest countries are located in Europe, but parts of Asia such as [[South Korea]], [[Hong Kong]], and [[Taiwan]] are expected to be in the list by 2050.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=He, Wan |author2=Goodkind, Daniel |author3=Kowal, Paul |date=March 2016|title=An Aging World : 2015|url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2016/demo/P95-16-1.html|journal=International Population Reports|volume=16|pages=1–30}}</ref> In [[South Korea]], where the fertility rate is the world's lowest (0.81 as of 2022), the [[Demographics of South Korea|population]] is expected to peak in 2030.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kamiya |first1=Takeshi |date=24 February 2022 |title=South Korea's birthrate drops to new low amid economic anxiety |url=https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14556684 |accessdate=11 April 2022 |work=The Asahi Shinbun}}</ref> 

The smaller states of [[Demographics of Singapore|Singapore]] and [[Demographics of Taiwan|Taiwan]] are also struggling to boost fertility rates from record lows and manage aging populations. China's fertility rate is lower than Japan's and is [[Aging of China|aging faster]] than almost every other country in modern history.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Toshiya |first1=Tsugami |date=16 September 2021 |title=Why Society Will be the Real Loser from China's Low Birth Rate |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d00740/ |accessdate=11 April 2022 |work=Nippon.com}}</ref> More than a third of the world's elderly (65 and older) live in East Asia and the Pacific, and many of the economic concerns raised first in Japan can be projected to the rest of the region.<ref>{{cite news |date=9 December 2015 |title=Rapid Aging in East Asia and Pacific Will Shrink Workforce and Increase Public Spending |work=World Bank |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eap/brief/rapid-aging-in-east-asia-and-pacific-will-shrink-workforce-increase-public-spending |access-date=27 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2002 |title=The Future of Population in Asia: Asia's Aging Population |url=http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored/misc/FuturePop08Aging.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312055243/http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored/misc/FuturePop08Aging.pdf |archive-date=12 March 2016 |access-date=27 February 2016 |website=East West Center |publisher=Honolulu: East-West Center}}</ref> 

India's population is aging similarly to that of Japan, but with a 50-year lag. A study of the populations of India and Japan for the years 1950 to 2015 combined with median variant population estimates for the years 2016 to 2100 shows that India is 50 years behind Japan on the aging process.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.socialcops.com/open-data/india-aging-like-japan-visualizing-population-pyramids|title=Is India Aging Like Japan? Visualizing Population Pyramids |publisher=SocialCops Blog|date=2016-06-22|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-04}}</ref>

One of the distinguishing features of Japan's elderly population, in particular, is that it is both fast-growing and having one of the highest life expectancies. According to the [[World Health Organization]], Japanese people are able to live 75 years fully healthy and without any disabilities. Demographic data shows that Japan is an older and more quickly aging society than the United States.<ref name=":6">{{cite journal |last1=Karasawa |first1=Mayumi |last2=Curhan |first2=Katherine B. |last3=Markus |first3=Hazel Rose |last4=Kitayama |first4=Shinobu S. |last5=Love |first5=Gayle Dienberg |last6=Radler |first6=Barry T. |last7=Ryff |first7=Carol D. |date=July 2011 |title=Cultural Perspectives on Aging and Well-Being: A Comparison of Japan and the United States |journal=The International Journal of Aging and Human Development |volume=73 |issue=1 |pages=73–98 |doi=10.2190/AG.73.1.d |pmc=3183740 |pmid=21922800}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Children's Day (Japan)]]
*[[Demographics of Japan]]
*[[Elderly people in Japan]]
*[[Marriage in Japan]]
*[[Respect for the Aged Day]]
*[[Retired husband syndrome]]

'''General:'''
*[[List of countries and dependencies by population]]
*[[List of countries and dependencies by population density]]
*[[Generational accounting]]
*[[Sub-replacement fertility]]

'''International:'''
*[[Aging of South Korea]]
*[[Aging of China]]
*[[Aging of Europe]]
*[[Aging of the United States]]
*[[Russian Cross]]

==References==
{{notelist}}{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/nenkan/index.htm Japanese Statistics Bureau Statistical Yearbook]
*[http://www.nbr.org/research/activity.aspx?id=131 Another Tsunami Warning: Caring for Japan's Elderly], (NBR Expert Brief, April 2011)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Japan (aging)}}
{{Asia in topic|Aging of}}
{{Population Aging}}

[[Category:Old age in Japan]]
[[Category:Demographics of Japan]]
[[Category:Ageing by country|Japan]]