Fall in number of men in Japan
By David Pilling in Tokyo
Published: February 23 2005 02:00 | Last updated: February 23 2005 02:00
The number of men in Japanhas begun to shrink; the firstsuch fall in peace time, heralding a decline in the overall population from next year.
If current trends continue, Japan's population will fall for the rest of the century. The most severe estimates suggest it could shrink by nearly two-thirds to 45m by 2100; the same level as in 1910 Meiji Japan.
Statistics released yesterday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs suggest the number of Japanese men fell nearly 9,000, or by about 0.01 per cent, to 62.295m in the 12 months to October 1 last year.
Excluding the second world war years, when Japan suspended detailed classification of its population, it is the first time the male population has declined since records began in 1920.
The fall in the number of men signals a historic shift in Japan's population. The country's ageing population is already set to have a profound influence on the country's pension system, labour market and tax base.
The government last year implemented a pension reform that will steadily erode benefits while increasing premiums.
It is also pushing business to extend the retirement age beyond 65. In practice, companies offer early retirement to high earners in their 50s to cut wage bills.
Japan's population rose by only 0.05 per cent, or 67,000, to 127.687m - the smallest increase on record with the exception of 1945 when numbers fell dramatically because of war deaths.
Last year, the number of people aged 65 or older rose to a record high of 19.5 per cent, while those under 14 fell to an all-time low of 13.9 per cent.
The labour force also continued to shrink. The number of men aged between 15 and 64 fell 170,000. An internal affairs ministry official said one reason for the decline in the male population was that more men had gone abroad for work. Additional reporting by James Gregory
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