a) Study a country on how and why its population has aged rapidly during the last 40 or 50 years, and analyze its consequences.
Japan’s graying population: The reasons behind it, steps taken to curb it and the implications of an aging society
Introduction
Japan has seen rapid development from the times of Meiji Restoration (1868) up till today. In fact, it has grown more rapidly than any other countries from 1870 to 1994 (Nafziger,1995) because of the various economic policies its government had undertaken after the war ended. Thus, as a result of this economic growth, standard of living has gone up and along with technological advancements, Japan enjoys one of the highest life expectancy compared to any other countries in the world
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Another reason is the economic recession. The economy was bad for Japan throughout the 1990s. The unemployment rate rose sharply from 2% in 1990 to 5% in 2003(Suzuki, 2006). Youth was not given an opportunity to work and those who did obtain a stable job decreased from 77.8% in 1988 to 55.8% in 2004 and that those who obtained no job or a temporary job went up from 9.4% to 24.6% during the same period. The proportion proceeding to higher education increased from 6.5% to 11.8% meaning that starting a family will be delayed. .
Suzuki also mentioned that the low income of young men relative to their fathers discouraged marriage. Previously, the income of men in their 30s were more than that of their fathers and motivated women to marry them. Current trends, however, indicated that the relative income of young men to old men has declined substantially and young men are less appealing as marriage partners than before.
Problems with an aging society
One of the issues with an ageing society is that the dependency ratio of the country will increase. Dependency ratio refers to the number of persons under age 15 plus persons aged 65 or older per one hundred persons 15 to 64. It is the sum of the youth dependency ratio and the old-age dependency ratio. This means that as the society ages, more young people are tasked
There are several possible reasons for the decrease in the number of nuclear families, particularly in the past forty years. This includes rising cohabitation, higher divorce rates, secularisation, rising same sex relationships, more career seekers and the rise in feminism.
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.
twenty first century there is a serious problem, due to a greater number of elderly than
Between 2000 and 2050, the number of ageing population will increase by 135% During this time period, the proportion of the population that is over the age of 65 will increase from 12.7% in
Many people would argue that it is wrong to label the old as ‘economically independent’. An example of this would be that the age of retirement can be different for different jobs. Many men in their fifties are no longer working, whereas many women have to work up to the age of sixty five before accessing the state pensions as they do not do as many manual jobs such as building. Also, whilst there is an increase of older of people the dependency ratio also rises in the ageing population. This may be a way of making up for the decline of dependent children.
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 1868, provincial rebels overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan and the new leaders called the regime the “Meiji Restoration.” This was just the beginning for soon-to-be modernized Japan. A stronger military, new ideas, technology, and laws would be all used to transform Japan into a modern industrial nation. Because of these, modernization had a great effects on Japan’s society and the nation as a whole from 1850 to 1950. One effect modernization had was strengthening international presence and relations for Japan as a whole. This helped to keep them active on global terms and impacted them in a positive manner. Another effect modernization resulted in was the transformation of the internal society of Japan. The changes in the society all provided great benefits for Japan.
In 2017, the world population is at 7.5 billion people. China is the most populated country in whole world. It has “1.379 billion” (Google) people making it the largest populated country. China is also the most largest aging population making it have a high life expectancy and the high accelerating aging rate in the world (Zheng, 2012). China has advanced with technology and also with age. Only “three decades ago, only 5 percent of the populations was over 65; today, 123 million people, or 9 percent of the population, are over this age which a report released by the government states that China will be the world's’ most aged society in 2030” (Huang, 2013). Since, China is the most largest aging population this means that less people are dying and more are living. Since, more people are living this means that need of long-term care, health insurance, adjustment of policies and how to make everyone comfortable living. China is the only country that has an older population exceeding 100 million and annually increases at a rate of 3.2. A dependent territory of China is Hong kong that has “7.347 million people” (Google). Hong kong also has a fast growing aged population. Hong kong is also trying to adjust their long-term care system, pensions system and policies to accommodate everyone living situation.
The United States has for more than a century maintained the largest economy in the world. Japan, on the other hand, currently has the third largest economy in the world (according to some estimates) after realizing incredible growth since the damage and ruin it experienced during World War II (BBC, 2015). This essay compares and contrasts the current economies of the United States and Japan in terms of three leading economic indicators: real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation, and unemployment. While some similarities exist between the two economies this comparison will highlight what the differences mean in terms of economic health for the two countries.
Over the years, there have been major shifts within the United States in regards to its population. Statisticians have estimated that 20% of the population will be 65 years of age and older. There is an even
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.
Over the past fifty years Japan has seen significant changes in all aspects of its society and the way it interacts with the outside world. For example, despite suffering a defeat in World War II, Japan soon became one of Asia’s greatest economic powers. In Japan in Transformation, 1952 - 2000, Jeffrey Kingston focuses on various aspects of change in Japanese society and politics in the period after World War II. These include the effect of the US occupation, analysis of postwar politics, the economic boom, changes in demographics, the treatment of women, and foreign policy and security issues.
From 1970 to the year 2000, the world's over-60 population is projected to increase by more than 90 percent" . This is an astonishing number, seeming how the total population was predicted to grow by less than 75 percent . "The most prominent feature of the looming shift in the composition of the working-age population is, of course, its increasing age" . It is hard to say what will happen when suddenly there will be an abundance of older people who are preparing to retire.
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.