Reasons and consequences of population decline in Japan

Nowadays Japan is known as one of the most developed and technically advanced countries
in the world. For many people the country seem to be perfect, however not all of them know that
Japan is now facing several serious problems. One of them is a drastic population decline. Statistics
show that, unlike in other Asian nations, which report constant population growth, there are over
28% of people aged 65 or above, which makes them the oldest society in the world. So what are the
reasons and consequences of that situation?

One of the factors, which play a crucial role in the population decline is a cultural aspect.
Japanese people are well-known for their attachment to work ethic and they often tend to give up
their private lives in order to be a good employee. They even feel guilt each time they do not show
up at work and they simply do not have time to start a family and have a baby. Another reason
stems from the new technologies, which are present in the lives off all of the young Japanese. Not
only do they provide them an escape and distract from the reality, but they also lead to dysfunctional
relationships and loneliness.

Low birth rate come with some serious consequences. First of them is a shortage in labour
supply. Japan is already in debt, which is constantly growing due to decreased number of workers
paying taxes. Moreover, there are more and more spending on healthcare, pensions and other
services as the government is stressed to provide adequate senior welfare system.

Population decline is a very tough problem, but luckily, there are some solutions such as
changing social policy for women or welcoming more migrants from other countries. If no measures
are taken, the effects may be disastrous.

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