Effects Of Population Aging In Japan

1045 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What are the consequences of the aging population

Introduction Japan is the oldest nation in the world in terms of population. According to “Portal Site of Official Statistics of Japan,” as of August 2015, the country announced that they have the highest proportion of elderly citizens; 26.8% of the total population are above age 65, and 13% aged 75 or above. Today, the median age of the world population is 26 years. In Japan, the median age of its total population is 41 years. The population aging problem in Japan is more serious than any other countries in the world. Nowadays, each senior citizen (65 years and older) in Japan has 2.57 workers to support. However, the ratio will be about 1.19 workers per senior by 2060 (Edahiro, 2015). That means there will be a huge burden on the younger
Scholars predict that population aging in Japan would continue over the next five decades. By 2030, 1 in every 3 persons will be aged 65 years or above, and approximately 1 in every 5 persons will be aged 75 years or above. By 2050, there will be more than 1 in every 3 persons aged 60 years or above, and approximately 1 in every 5 persons aged 80 years or above. “Japan will experience a remarkable increase in the number of centenarians over the next half century, from less than 13,000 in 2000 to almost 1 million in 2050,” according to Population Division, DESA, United Nations (2013), “Nearly 1% of Japan’s population will be 100 years old or older.” According to the latest WHO data published in 2013 for life expectancy at birth in Japan, women’s life expectancy at birth is about 87.2 years and men’s about 80.2 years (World Health Organization, 2013). The total life expectancy at birth in Japan is about 83.7 years, which is the highest in the world. Moreover, average Japanese life expectancy at birth is forecasted to continually increase. By 2060, it will be 84.19 years for males and females will exceed 92 years (Population Division, DESA, United Nations,
Fertility is one of the crucial components of age structure change in demography of population. Women became more and more educated and participated in the workforce. As employment increased in women, they started to delay marriages and there were more women preferred to stay unmarried. Even among the married women, due to the lack of societal support for working women to have children and increased costs for raising children, fertility rates still continually declined over years. With less and less children, what problems will these Japanese people faced when they become

Show More
Related

  • The Older Americans Act in 2013

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jacobsen, L. A., Kent, M., Lee, M., & Mather, M. (2001). America's aging population. Population Bulletin, 66(1).

    Read More

  • A Report on Canada's Aging Population

    2340 Words  | 5 Pages

    An aging population is indeed a problem for the society and will possibly cause many social and economic difficulties in the future. According to David Foot (2003), professor of Economics at University of Toronto, an effective birth rate of 2.2% against current 1.75% will be necessary to replace the current work force in the near future and the government’s policy of bringing in more immigrants will eventually fail (Foot, 2003, 2). However some people predict that the increased size of an aging population will drive growth in the home, health care, and many other industries resulting in job creation and economic growth (Marketwire, 2013, 1). Majority of the people are of the opinion that the issue will be mainly in the health care and economic activity. As humans age, they start to develop health problems, leading to more visits to a medical clinic putting extra burden on health care system.

    Read More

  • Selected Topics Paper: Aging

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aging affects every individual and is inevitable, despite our valiant attempts to prevent it. The aging process beings the moment of conception however some can argue it begins at birth. The process of aging is heavily impacted by health, genetics and environmental factors. As people age we have to become accustom to the changes associated with life. The question becomes what changes happen and how? Although we cannot predict what will happen to us we can work to prevent specific things from happening by living healthier lives.

    Read More

  • Essay On Ageism

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...6 in 2050” (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2012, p. 15). Comparatively, in 1900 the average life expectancy was 47 (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2012, p. 15). This is relevant with regards to ageism in that the need for trained health care professionals in the field of gerontology will be astounding, but because of the current perceptions of older adults there is a gross lack of these specialty providers. “It has been estimated that by 2030, 3.5 million formal health care providers-a 35 percent increase from current levels-will be needed just to maintain the current ratio of providers to the total population” (Ferrini & Ferrini, 2013, p, 15). The prediction is that all health care providers will spend at least 50 percent of their time working with older adults; increased competency while eliminating ageist attitudes is paramount for quality health care (Ferrini & Ferrini, 2013, p. 15).

    Read More

  • What Is Societal Aging?

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most important concerns that not only the certain region or country but the whole globe is facing with is the societal aging. Societal aging refers to the “social and demographic process that result in the aging of a population” Aging of the population would impact different aspect of social life. For instance, as the baby boomers aging, the evolvement of those generation in different community would increase. Also, the expectation of better healthcare and ethical issues around the aged people has grown (Morgan & Kunkle 2016: 6).

    Read More

  • Moldistribution Of Health Care Personnel

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    The existing U.S. population is over 315 million and rising. In the year 2030, 72 million Americans will be 65 or older, a 50 percent change in age demographics since the year 2000. The change is primarily due to the aging baby boomers, who were born at the end of World War II. Americans are living longer than ever befo...

    Read More

  • Comparing the Japanese and American Health Care Systems

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    Japan's 2008 total population was 127.69 million though its younger population has decreased as the older population has increased. Japans older population is living longer than earlier generations (Wakamatsu-cho, 2008). Diet has a great deal to do with Health and traditionally Japanese meals were higher in carbohydrates due to lower economic status and rarely used beef or pork. With economic growth came changes to the traditional Japanese diet adding more fats and proteins, causing a recent decline in Japanese health and increase in obesity (Saigusa, 2006).

    Read More

  • The Definition of Universal Healthcare

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Long-term care insurance is also required for those older than 40. As Dr. John W. Traphagan notes in The Diplomat, Japan controls costs by setting flat rates for everything from medications to procedures, thus eliminating competition among insurance providers. While most of the country 's hospitals are privately owned and operated, the government implements smart regulations to ensure that the system remains universal and egalitarian.”

    Read More

  • Importance Of Active Ageing

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Philippines, the ages to be considered a senior citizen are those who are aged 60 years old and over. The senior citizens made up 6.8 percent of the 92.1 million household populations in 2010, higher than the 6.0 percent recorded in 2000 and the number reached over six million in 2011 and it is seen to double in 16 years. The number of people 60 years old and above, or those considered as senior citizens, has increased, as the country's household population increases. With the growing number of senior citizens, there is a generalized notion associated with senior citizens such as degeneration and decline of health and well being but on the contrary, most of them are still active and productive, performing significant roles at home and

    Read More

  • Late Adulthood

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    As American society has evolved in the past 100 years and technology has increased and improved, so has the life expectancy for individuals. Currently, females can expect to live for 81 years on average, while males can expect to live for 75 years, giving an average life expectancy of 78.3 years (Santrock, 2013, p.536). According to Santrock (2013), “since 1900, improvements in medicine, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle have increased our life expectancy an average of 30 additional years,” but another important factor is the decreasing infant mortality, allowing a larger population of people, including older adults (p.536). Making good choices in diet, regular exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, along with getting enough sleep and maintaining a low and healthy stress level can all increase life expectancy. Relationships, emotional well-being, and having purpose all also play an important role in determining how long an individual will live. As people are living longer, more ...

    Read More

  • Japan's Population Decline

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Global Road Warrior, Japan's population as of July 2013 is at 127,253,075 people, with an over-whelming majority of the public being elderly. "The Report says that two out of five Japanese will be over the age of sixty five by 2060" (PressTvGlobalNews). This sort of issue has yet to happen in all of history, so what is the cause of this crisis? It is becoming wildly believed that the media, influence and life style changes are having a great impact on this population decline.

    Read More

  • Gerotranscendence Theory

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aging is a global issue because of the influx of older adults into the population scheme.

    Read More

  • Essay On Dementia

    1784 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many countries globally are faced with unprecedented demographic changes from high mortality and fertility to low mortality and fertility, giving rise to an ageing population. Population ageing is profound and enduring, and has major consequences and implications for all facets of human life. With a larger proportion of older people, one of the major concerns is health care. The health of older persons generally declines with age and some illness are more likely to be associated with older people. One of such illness is dementia. As the life expectancies of the general population have dramatically increased since the turn of the century, more and more people are at risk of developing dementia (National Institute of Aging, 2000).

    Read More

  • The Decline of Japan’s Birth Rate

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Japan needs to have more babies. The population of Japan is declining, and the birth rate is a base problem. People just aren’t having enough babies anymore. This will be problematic, as Tomm says “The consequences have had negative effects as fertility rate continues to decline and life expectancy continues to increase”. After the birth rate has been declining for the past four decades, the old far outnumber the young at a ratio of nearly 2:1(“Japan Age structure”). There aren’t enough workers to pay into social security. Social problems like traditional gender roles and stereotypes negatively impact the growth of the population. Because of their work-centric lifestyles, social problems, and child related expenses, Japan’s birth rate is severely declining.

    Read More

  • Marriage In Japan

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    Marriage in Japan Why people get married? There would be many reasons; to save money, to escape from loneliness, to have a better life, and so on. But in most case people marry for love. Though it is almost always true, a married life is different between in the western culture and in Japan. A marriage in modern western culture is based on mutuality and companionship. In Western there is a tendency to be independent. Most college graduates live apart from their family and find an apartment near the working place. They have learned how to ¡°survive¡± in single and marriage is an optional. However, a person in Japan who graduates from a college and has a job still lives with one¡¯s family until one gets married, which means one keeps the parent-child relationship. Therefore it is hard for a Japanese man to learn to be independent. After he gets married, he now relies on his bride for having foods, doing laundry, and many other things. Takeo Doi explains it with the term of amae that means the seeking or causing of oneself to be loved, nurtured, and indulged. He says it is an active attempt to make oneself into a passive love object. One reason why a man continues depending on someone else is that he has been witnessed what his parents have been done and now he considers himself as a head of his own family. In case of woman, it is difficult to keep her job after the marriage, because she needs to take care of her child, which is considered to be a wife¡¯s job. She has to do everything else except making money for the family, which makes her dependent on her husband who has the economic power. However in western culture, it is natural for both partners to have their own jobs and to be responsible for every single household job after marriage. Until recently it has been true in Japan but now it is changing. More women have their jobs rather than prepare to be a bride after the graduate. They don¡¯t need to get married if they don¡¯t want to. It has also become common not to have many children and some couples don¡¯t have a child at all. A younger bride could decide to divorce her husband if she wants to because she has a chance to get an economic independence easily nowadays.

    Read More

More about Effects Of Population Aging In Japan

Open Document