ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
Japanese population/demographic chart – 2000
Males
Male Surplus
Females
Female surplus
The chart above shows the decline in babies being
born as a comparison to the annual death-rate. In
recent years, deaths have out-numbered births and
with minimal foreign migrant intakes, you don’t need
to be a genius to realise that the population can
only continue to decrease in this situation.
SOCIAL MAKEUP
(Source: Wikipedia)
Japanese population/demographic chart – 2015
Males
Male Surplus
Females
Female surplus
(Source: Wikipedia)
FROM CRADLE TO COFFIN
Another key factor in all of this is the decline in
the Japanese birth rate. As with many modern
countries, families these days tend to be smaller,
more women are working longer before starting
families (if indeed they do), and more and more
people are deciding to avoid taking on the challenge
and responsibilities of becoming parents.
Japan’s Births Vs Deaths 1950 – 2008
Japan’s social makeup is different to most countries
with many unique idiosyncrasies, though that too
is beginning to change. The traditional social
model was that once married, the man of the family
was expected to be the provider while the wife
would quit their jobs to stay at home and raise the
children. In addition to this, the eldest son of the
family was expected to live with, and care for his
parents as they age in exchange for inheriting the
family house and becoming the head of the family.
This model can still be seen all over Japan, though
it is definitely being challenged.
As a westerner looking in, the most obvious flaw
in the tradition is the inherent gender bias which
assumes that females will not desire a professional
career and will be happy to play second fiddle while
the husband provides. In recent years this has
certainly been challenged by Japanese working
females with many career women taking it up to
their male counterparts. Indeed, the government
is encouraging more women into the workforce
to help cover the labour shortage. However with
limited child support and workplaces that provide
little to no support for female staff taking leave to
start families, many women are left with making the
choice of career or family. The declining birth rate
suggests that many are making the choice to work.
The other recent dynamic entering Japanese
society is the social acknowledgment and gradual
acceptance of homosexuality as an option. There
is still a massive gap in this space compared to
western countries, but if pop-culture is a reasonable
measure, the number of openly gay and/or
transgender celebrities gracing the TV screens has
increased dramatically over recent years.
RESPECT THY ELDER
A key element that makes up Japanese society is
that respect for people older or more experienced
than you is embedded into children as soon as they
are able to interpret the world. The best example is
at school where children can basically categorise all
other students into three types:
(Source: Wikipedia)
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