Japan´s population starts shrinking
Thursday, December 22, 2005 4:26:38 AM
afxpress.com
Japan's population starts shrinking TOKYO (AFX) - Japan's population fell for the first time in 2005, the government said, calling it a "turning point" that will force the economy to adapt to a rapidly aging society
Deaths are likely to outnumber births by about 10,000 this year, the first decline since 1899, when Japan began compiling the data, health ministry figures show
"Our country is now standing at a major turning point in terms of population," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Jiro Kawasaki told a news conference
"We must take counter-measures against the falling birth rate, along with measures to support and foster our future generations," Kawasaki said
Japan's population stood at 127,687,000 as of October 2004. The health ministry said births were set to fall by 44,000 to 1,067,000 this year, with deaths going up 48,000 to 1,077,000 year-on-year
The declining population fuels fears for the pension system as a smaller work force supports a mass of pensioners
Japan has so far rejected large-scale immigration, accepting only foreign workers with particular skills
The latest study shows the population is dropping more rapidly than thought. Just last week the Cabinet Office forecast that the population would start shrinking in 2006 -- itself a revision to a previous estimate that the decline would begin in 2007
The Cabinet Office predicted that the population will halve to 60 mln people by 2100 |
