Population

Commentary / World Jan 8, 2016

Prep for China's two-child consumption engine

by Keyu Jin

China's abolition of its one-child policy is going to have a profound impact on the country's economy.

National / Social Issues | DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES Jan 6, 2016

Government weighs immigration to maintain population, boost workforce

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September announced administrative measures seeking to maintain a population of at least 100 million people over the next 50 years with a target of significantly raising the fertility rate to 1.8.

National / Social Issues | DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES Jan 3, 2016

Options available to mitigate dangers of living alone with dementia

by Tomoko Otake

At first glance, it's hard to tell what's wrong with Keiko Sawada. As casual exchanges continue, however, it becomes increasingly clear the former bar hostess has serious memory problems.

National Jan 1, 2016

Slightly more babies born last year in Japan, but population suffers net loss of almost 300,000

There were 1,008,000 babies born in Japan in 2015, up 4,000 from a year earlier, the health ministry said Thursday. It was the first increase since 2010. The ministry's figures, all estimates, record 1,302,000 deaths in the year, up 29,000 from a year earlier and ...

National Dec 31, 2015

Number of new adults at record-equal low of 1.21 million on New Year's Day

The number of people aged 20 years old, the legal age of adulthood in Japan, is set to reach an record-equal low of 1.21 million on New Year's Day, government statistics showed Thursday. The new adults, down 50,000 from a year earlier, make up 0.95 ...

National / Social Issues | DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES Dec 31, 2015

Japan's population dilemma, in a single-occupancy nutshell

by Reiji Yoshida

It's not your typical futuristic city. But if you want to see what Tokyo and the rest of Japan will soon look like, the Takashimadaira housing complex in northern Tokyo's Itabashi Ward may be the place to visit.

National Dec 28, 2015

2015 census finds record population drop in tsunami-hit area

Twelve coastal municipalities in Iwate Prefecture hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami saw a record aggregate five-year drop in population, according to preliminary results of the 2015 national census. The population of the 12 cities totaled 251,325 as of Oct. 1, down 22,761, ...

Lifestyle Dec 19, 2015

Growing old, gracefully: senior citizens in the workplace

by Rob Gilhooly

For Eiji and Kumiko Ishikawa, the working day starts as early as 5 a.m. Having loaded the requisite equipment into their van, they set off for their first job of the day, a 14-story high-rise in western Tokyo. They unload mops and brushes, roll out ...

National / Social Issues Dec 16, 2015

As jobs-for-life fade, mobility key as workers face a survival reality check

by Yoshiaki Nohara

Shuhei Takebe graduated from a prestigious university in Japan. It qualified him to become a day laborer. After three years of part-time work at rock concerts and baseball games, Takebe, 25, is attending a job training program in an attempt to land full-time employment. He's ...

Asia Pacific / Science & Health Nov 29, 2015

Beijing's long commutes reflect a city bulging at the seams

by Iris Zhao

The commute for millions of people living in and around Beijing is a daily grind that is ever more time-consuming, costly and crowded as residents dodge, push and elbow their way onto buses and subways. And there is no immediate relief in sight in a ...