“The aging and decreasing population is a serious problem in many developed countries today. In Japan’s case, these demographic changes are taking place at a more rapid pace than any other country has ever experienced.” – Toshihiko Fukui
rady.ucsd.edu
In order to understand the population decline a little better, let’s first look at Japan’s Economy. There are two terms used when addressing Japan’s rise and demise:
- The Bubble:
Post World War II Japan was the strongest moment in Japan’s economy, allowing itself to fall second to the US in the 1980s. With technological advances that were making waves all over the world, from automobiles to music players, Japan was able to ride this high up until the 1990s. The Bubble was a term used to define the inflation of the real-estate market, and the unimaginable growth in the Stock Exchange. Due to a lack of foreshadowing and
- The Lost Decades
Following the burst of the bubble, Japan entered what is referred to as the Lost Decade. This was and still is in some ways, an era of economic ruin from the burst. Japan is now the world’s largest creditor nation and has an all time low GDP.
Source: Life After the Bubble: How Japan Lost a Decade By JIM IMPOCO
Published: October 18, 2008, NY Times
These economic woes are no doubt affected and will affect the population decline in Japan.
So, exactly how much is the population declining? Article: Japan’s population falls for the 4th straight year
independentco.uk
Despite Japan’s declining population, large metropolis cities are still growing, which is proving to have it’s own effect on the environment. Click here for more information on Urban Warming.