Why Japan's Elderly Are Endangering Its Military

Why Japan's Elderly Are Endangering Its Military

“The future that has already happened.” That is how Peter Drucker described the relevance of demographics. Around the world, policy makers are starting to agree, and governments are taking unprecedented steps to prepare for the next generation. After more than three decades, China has abolished its one-child policy in a dramatic departure from a core Communist Party position. The Japanese government under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set the country’s first numerical target to stabilize the population at 100 million over the next 50 years, breaking a postwar political taboo. A consensus is reemerging that demographic trends are a crucial factor determining the fate of nations.

Japan is in the midst of a silently unfolding crisis. The figures are staggering. The country’s population peaked in 2008 at around 128 million and has been in decline ever since. Today, there are fewer than 127 million people in Japan, and its population is falling by nearly three hundred thousand a year, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. 

Read Full Article »
Comment
Show commentsHide Comments

Related Articles