Japan's Population to Shrink Nearly a Third by 2060

At least they're smart enough not to pump out kids when they can't afford it. Many Americans have yet to learn that.

Obviously, if the birth rates are falling, this cannot continue indefinitely. If you stop to think about it, after a 'hump' in the numbers corresponding to the worldwide baby boom after WWII, the situation should eventually normalize. How much depends on how wise everyone is about population control; another boom could cause future problems.

oops it's 44 inches. who cares they will be making smaller and smaller cars

I'm not surprised their population is shrinking. Between the fact that more women have careers now, and finding out that their government lied to them about the radiation problem after the earthquake and huge tsunami, they are hesitant to bring children into a world like this.

It has leaked out now that the radiation exposure from the failed nuclear power plant was much more widespread than anyone knew, and that everything from Fukushima all the way down to Tokyo should have been evacuated. Now, everyone there that would like to have a child is worried about birth defects caused by the radiation. And they're also worried that if their gov't. didn't tell them about this so they could evacuate, what else is their gov't not telling them? (Kind of like here in the U.S. We're not always sure about what our gov't tells us, either.) And that's not counting the people who lived closest. Wouldn't be a bit surprised if those living very near to the failed nuclear reactor were effectively sterilized well before they were told to evacuate. Even if they weren't sterilized, there will be accelerated rates of cancer and death. And always the worry of serious birth defects. Radiated water is still pouring out of the broken nuclear plant, and horrid changes in the sea life have been discovered in that area. This is very bad news for a nation who relies heavily on the sea for their food. Seems like if you didn't get caught in the earthquake, tsunami, or radiation, then your food did, as the gov't says it's safe to eat.

It's no wonder at all that they might be pretty hesitant to bring children into a world like that. I know I would be. Of course, the way that the whole world is decomposing, we probably all should be.

On the serious note... I don't think Japans population is shrinking...I think many of them have relocated in countries across South America like Brazil..

The size of calirfornia, but the population of the USA, something will give eventually

The issue isn't to get an already small population of people and make them shrink we want them to reach 0 population growth and be stabilized. The solution is to get the way too large population countries and make them stop reproducing like rabbits

Germany is facing the same problem. An aging population and not enough young people entering the workforce to replace them. It will have huge repercussions on the economy. The burden on their welfare system will eventually be to much. Like japan they have resorted to paying to have children.

Keep in mind that "old" might be 65 in the U.S, while "old" might be 95 in Japan. Also, the older you are, the quicker you go downhill at the end... so the burden on society isn't as great as it might seem. And since they are a developed country and not the U.S, they probably have a decent healthcare and social safety net which no doubt helps.

"On average, Japanese women have 1.4 children. That number is 1.9 for U.S. women, according to the CDC"
Does anyone else remember the U.S. used to average 2.8 children per family? Japan isn't the only country "downsizing" in the industry called "family"

Just recently saw japanese lactation porn...grown japanese men getting breast fed by japanese moms...squeezing and squirting...

See the problem is, Japan censors its porn. If they would lift the censors, people would feel more comfortable about sex, have more of it, have more kids, and the numbers in population eventually just even out. Porn solves all problems

OOPS IT'S 33 inches

Quick! Make like the rabbits!

This is not a problem. Over time industries shrink and expand. The healthcare industry is going to expand until our populations stabilizes (replacement). Sure we may not get a new iphone each year, but at least our parents will be taken care of. What else can we do, sweep them under the rug?

that it? by 1/3? i thought that nwo had other plans. i must have been wrong all these years.

All the populations of developed countries are either stabilizing or shrinking. That's what happens with modernization, you need fewer kids to keep the population alive. Except of course, the US, where most of our population growth is through immigration. But in underdeveloped countries the natural instinct is to continue to reproduce to keep the population going, be modern advances negate that.

How is it troubling that the country's population will shrink by 30%? The entire world's population should shrink by at least as much.

in the first sentence it says who's to blame for this, the government released new figures. if we round them up in the next few years we may be able to stop this madness of shrinking

"EAT MORE SUSHI."