With the country’s current birth rate, Japan’s population of 127.5 million is expected to decrease by 25% within 35 years. The slowly shrinking country is also met with the problem that its population is also the oldest in the world, with over 25% of residents over the age of 65. These two facts combine to make a very unique and awkward situation in Japan in which no other country has ever been in before. Many changes are expected to occur in Japan, and efforts are being made to maintain the country’s economy, however its unclear if enough efforts are being made. I predict that In the future, Japan’s economy will be affected by its both declining and aging population, and certain government reforms are necessary to fix the population …show more content…
The lower amount of people provides both the smaller labor force as well as a smaller domestic market. With a smaller labor force, less goods for the international market will be reduced, risking Japan’s spot as number three in the world economy. Although the domestic market is shrinking in size, this does not mean that Japan’s gross domestic product, the value of a country’s goods and services provided in a year, has shrunk. In fact, Japan’s gross domestic product increased by 1.9% last year, nevertheless this increase is less than half of the increase seen in the previous year (Tseng).
The steadily decreasing population of Japan does, however, provide much more for the individual Japanese citizen. William Cline of the Peterson Institute for International Economics stated that: “Thanks to a falling population, individual income has risen strongly...” With their increased income, Japanese spend more money on domestics goods and services, resulting in the still rising gross domestic product despite having a declining population. The eldest of Japan, retirees, will probably take the hardest punishment from a declining population in the years to come. With the ratio of elderly to youth set to increase steadily over the few decades, the amount of taxpayers paying for the government funded pension program simply will not be able to pay for the needs of the elderly in Japan(Traphagan).
Other statistical important values are the unemployment rate and life expectancy. The unemployment rate amount Japanese is 4.0%, whereas the United States is 7.4% (Find-the-data, 2015). This is one of the reasons the Japanese government is able to keep down costs. However, the average life expectancy of Japanese citizens is 83.33 years to U.S. 78.84 years, which would require Japan to care for their citizen’s longer (Find-the-data, 2015). This can financially impact the government with increased expenses and costs to an aging nation.
The Zaibatsu, which is a combination of the top grossing companies in Japan and have many connections in the government and court system that give them a substantial amount of power. Lastly, Japan’s resources are very limited because only 12% of its land is fertile, and they must import 80% of its energy to them. Socially, Japan’s ageing population is another reason why the economy has become stagnate. The ageing population will eventually cause labor shortages that Japan cannot replace.
Improved quality of life, quick and easy access to health care along with medical advances help Japan’s aging population enjoy an increased life expectancy, so much so that the Japanese older population is outnumbering the younger
In detail, in 1940, the proportion of people aged 65 or more stood at 5% in Japan, approximately 7% in Sweden and 9% in the USA. In the following years, the proportion of elderly in both USA and Sweden rose dramatically and reached a peak of 15% and nearly 13% respectively in 1980. But the proportion in Japan declined slightly over the same period.
Since 2013 when the ACA was implemented, uninsured individuals have reduced. In 2015, the Medicare doc fix was passed that aimed at averting imminent cut to physician fees in Medicare.
The United States of America is one of the world leading economic powers in the world. The question is, how does the Unites States compare to other nation powers.Australia ,Cananda , China and Britain are just a few of the nation powers that can compare to the United states. This report will focus more one of the main rivials to the United States and that is Japan. Here is just a sample of Japans Numbers for 2004 compared to the United States. Unite States GDP growth is 4.30% ,unemployment is 5.60% and Inflation Rate is 1.90%. In Japan the GDP growth is 4.50% , unemployment is 4.60% and Inflation Rate is -.04%. . I think this is an important perspective because we really do live in a global
Beginning from the last years of World War II and then following Japan’s defeat to the allied forces, the Japanese had to endure arguably its most painful few years to date. The majority of Japan’s cities had all been completely destroyed during the war, especially in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the first atomic bombs were dropped. As a result, the majority of Japanese population had to not only survive the extremes of the seasons in make-shift shelters, but also endure starvation due to the lack of food and water available. However, thanks to the American occupation of Japan following the end of the war, Japan was finally able to recover. The year 1950 turned out to be the beginning of an extended period of Japanese economic and social prosperity. Starting from 1950 to 1990, Japan had experienced unrivalled miraculous economic growth and success in comparison to the majority of other developed countries. For this reason, the Japanese economic success during this period is known by many as the “economic miracle”. There are multiple reasons behind this so called “miracle”, and this essay explores some of these causes. In particular focusing on the major factors which include; the American occupation of Japan, the Korean and Vietnam War as well as social and economic reasons.
Japan’s unemployment rate of about 4% opposed to the U.S. unemployment rate of close to 10%. Even the financial debt to GDP ration is an advantage, and debt in the private sector has not increased unlike the U.S. and European countries, (Time, 2009). In addition, since Japan is a huge exporter and with the U.S. demand going downward, the international balances and growth declined especially as the dollar value dropped and the yen surged. •
A world-class manufacturing power was lead into a deep slump. Japan has traditionally possessed a remarkably high savings rate and a moderately low consumption rate. Throughout the previous two decades of recovery and high-speed growth, this ‘savings surplus’ provided greatly needed capital to private industry in the form of bank loans. This money was used to build and expand Japan’s industrial infrastructure power. However, during the 1990’s the ‘savings surplus’, once the essential fuel for high-speed development became a stern obstruction, leading to a severe collapse in demand and causing a heavy drag on Japan’s economic recovery.
In 1945, Japan was devastated and lost a quarter of the national wealth after suffering a defect in the second world war. A majority of the commercial buildings and accommodation had been demolished, and massive machinery and equipment formerly used in production for the civil market were out of service to provide metal for military supplies (Miyazaki 1967). Despite the trash and ruins had left over in Japan, Japan was able to rebuilding its infrastructure and reconstruct their economy. It is revealed that the Japanese economy was on its way to recovery, which received a rapid development since the war, and the reconstruction of Japan had spent less than forty years to become the world’s second largest economy in the 1980s. This essay will explore the three factors account for the economic growth of post-war Japan: the financial assistance from the United States, the external environment, and the effective policy of Japanese government.
Assumptions about the Japanese workforce have turned out to be more myth than reality and some of the former strengths have become weaknesses in the new economy
The Japanese economy, the 2nd largest in the world, accounts for 7.1% Global World GDP, at US$4.6 triliion and a per capita income of approximately US$33,550 (World Bank 2006). As a result of globalisation, literacy levels are at 99% and the general living standards of the
Japan ranks as the third largest economy in the world as of 2010. The GDP at current prices in US dollars in Japan was reported at 5068.06 billion in 2009, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Japan’s resurgence after World War II has however reached an inflection point in yearly 1989 after the burst of Japan’s asset price and real estate bubbles. As can be seen from the graph below, Japan’s GDP has hovered around the same level through more than 20 years of economic stagnation. The GDP’s slow growth has been exacerbated by the world financial crisis of 2008. A major landmark of Japan’s stagnation has been the BOJ’s fight against deflation.
Suggestions have been made as to how to offset the decrease in population—increasing the immigrant population as well as incentives attempt to increase the birth rate. According to the living and human development index, Japan has very high standard of living in addition to the highest life expectancy and the infant mortality rate is 3rd lowest.
In 1991, the entry of Toys “R” Us would displace more people from jobs than the opportunities it would create. The displaced people also include old people above 60 for whom this is a safety net post retirement. Japanese economy was in a state of virtual full employment with qualified male graduates preferring local employers to foreign establishments. Yet it will give employment opportunities for Japanese women