Admittedly, the 123,000 decrease in population is and could be an anomaly. Less important than the other numbers provided and some which are not, but which can be on population websites.
The Japanese hover at 1.3 as the average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime. In order to have a stable population, you need the number to be 2.0. That fact alone will, within a generation show a marked decrease in population! In any other country, 1.3 would also spell certain doom for the culture. For the Japanese, given the near zero number of immigrants who are non-Japanese, their culture will remain in tact, albeit much smaller.
The Japanese have a wonderful social system - your medical and health care needs are covered, pensions, and generally a birth to death care system. This system can work when you have several people under you working to support your system. For example: 1 person to pay taxes toward your social security, while 1 person pays taxes toward the medical system you use, and 1 person pays taxes to cover other miscellaneous costs. 3 working for 1 retired = a great system.
What the article tells us is in 20 years or so, the number retired or old will be 40% and the number working or younger, will be at 60%. Not quite 1 to 1, but close. And that should terrify every Japanese citizen aged 10 and up. Terrify as in Godzilla rampaging through the city with reckless abandon.
Japan population shrinks by record in 2010
Sat Jan 1, 2011
AP
TOKYO – Japan's population fell by a record amount last year as the number of deaths climbed to an all-time high in the quickly aging country, the government said Saturday.
Japan faces a looming demographic squeeze. Baby boomers are moving toward retirement, with fewer workers and taxpayers to replace them. The Japanese boast among the highest life expectancies in the world but have extremely low birth rates.
Japan logged 1.19 million deaths in 2010 — the biggest number since 1947 when the health ministry's annual records began. The number of births was nearly flat at 1.07 million.
As a result, Japan contracted by 123,000 people, which was the most ever and represents the fourth consecutive year of population decline. The top causes of death were cancer, heart disease and stroke, the ministry said.
Japanese aged 65 and older make up about a quarter of Japan's current population. The government projects that by 2050, that figure will climb to 40 percent.
Like in other advanced countries, young people are waiting to get married and choosing to have fewer children because of careers and lifestyle issues.
Saturday's report showed 706,000 marriages registered last year — the fewest since 1954 and a sign that birth rates are unlikely to jump dramatically anytime soon.
Japan's total population stood at 125.77 million as of October, according to the ministry.
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