Japan’s total population declined for the 15th straight year in 2023, dropping by more than a half-million people as the population ages and births remain low.
Births in Japan hit a record low of 730,000 last year. The 1.58 million deaths last year were also a record high. Japan’s population was 124.9 million as of Jan. 1.
The data released Wednesday by Japan’s Internal Affairs Ministry also showed that the 11% increase in foreign residents helped their population surpass 3 million for the first time. They now make up nearly 3% of the total population and are mostly of working age from 15 to 64.
Surveys show that younger Japanese are increasingly reluctant to marry or have children, discouraged by bleak job prospects, the high cost of living — which rises at a faster pace than salaries — and a gender-biased corporate culture that adds a burden only on women and working mothers.
Exactly WHO is going to take care of them?
You still need doctors, nurses and care givers to operate the geriatric departments, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. What kind of patient - doctor ratio are we going to have before quality of care degrades to an unacceptable level?
Its not the current generation of elderly that’s going to be in trouble. Its the subsequent generations. You can import labor but where will you import from when every other country is also facing an aging population?
We do not yet have robots capable of replacing caregivers. Its not just a money issue. Its a manpower problem as well.