Japanese Population

Population- 126,974,628 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.5% (male 9,465,282; female 8,999,888)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 43,027,320; female 42,586,112)
65 years and over: 18% (male 9,664,112; female 13,231,914) (2002 est.)

Japan Population

growth rate - 0.15% (2002 est.)
Birth rate - 10.03 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate - 8.53 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate - 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate- 0.02% (1999 est.)

Ethnic groups
Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian
182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) (2000)

Religions
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Languages - Japanese

Literacy 

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1970 est.)

• Japan's rapid aging means the national population of 128 million will shrink by one-third by 2060 and seniors will account for 40 percent of people, placing a greater burden on the shrinking work force population to support the social security and tax systems.

• The population estimate released Monday by the Health and Welfare Ministry paints a grim future.

• In 2060, Japan will have 87 million people. The number of people 65 or older will nearly double to 40 percent, while the national work force of people between ages 15 and 65 will shrink to about half of the total population, according to the estimate, made by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

• The total fertility rate, or the expected number of children born per woman during lifetime, in 2060 is estimated at 1.35, down from 1.39 in 2010 — well below more than 2 needed to keep the country's population from declining. But the average Japanese will continue to live longer. The average life expectancy for 2060 is projected at 90.93 for women, up from 86.39 in 2010, and 84.19 years for men, up from 79.64 years.

• The total Japan population according to the July, 2006 census is 127 million, which accounts for 2.0% of the total population density in the world , thereby listing Japan in the 10 th position on the chart for the largest population in the world .

• The population of Japan had witnessed an uphill trend during the 20 th century due to the boom in Japan 's economic and industrial status but of late the warning bells have begun ringing for Japan . The Japan population growth has started declining since 2005 with the death-rate outstripping the birth-rate and the net immigration rate almost touching nil. This is not the first time Japan is witnessing such low birth-rates; in fact, throughout various periods in history Japan has witnessed this situation of decreasing population rate.

• Japan 's birth-rate since it has been recorded had first experienced a fall during 1938-39 due to the second Sino-Japanese war and another steep fall occurred at the end of World War II. But conscious steps led to a stage of "baby boom" in 1947-49 and a similar situation was repeated in 1971-74. The Meiji restoration in 1868 had helped the minuscule Japanese population to expand,so as to help build it as a major modern power of the world. The population crossed the 100 million mark in 1967 but the 80's ushered in a new era of sharp population decline. Each year since then has started recording lower population growth than the previous year and the situation has become acute since 2005.

• In 2005 the population of elderly people above 65 years of age was 26.82 million whereas the population of the youth was only 17.40 million,an indicator of Japan 's falling birth-rate and also declining fertility rate . The total fertility rate in Japan is 1.4 children per woman(2006census) and this, despite a high life expectancy rate of 81.25 years(2006 census),has been the chief reason behind the declining population of Japan . The main reason for a low fertility

• rate is the increase in the marriage age and a simultaneous increase in the rate of unmarried females. The current birth rate according to 2006 census has come down to 9.37 births per 1000 people and the death-rate is 9.16 per 1000 people. High standards of hygiene and cleanliness is also responsible for declining death-rates.

• The net migration rate had stupendously touched nil in 2006. The current population growth rate in Japan is 0.02%(2006 census) and the total density of population is 339 persons per square kilometer(2006 census) ,the 30 th most densely populated countries in the world . The population however is greatest in metropolitan Tokyo which being the

• center of culture and commerce attracts people from all over Japan and the world. The total population of Tokyo according to 2005 census was 12.57 million and the population density was 5,748 persons per square kilometer.

• The HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate is less than 0.1% according to 2003 estimate but the chief causes for deaths in Japan are cancer,heart disease and cerebro-vascular disease. However the major problem Japan may face in coming years is financial crisis which might occur due to the increasing Dependency rate.

• The majority of the population are Japanese with other ethnic minorities comprising only 0.6% of the total population. Other ethnic minorities mostly include Korean,Chinese and some Brazilians. The standard of living in Japan is one of the highest in the world but the majority population consider themselves to be part of the middle-class. Shinto and Buddhism are the major religions followed and the chief language is Japanese,while English is considered as a second language. The literacy rate is quite high with 99% of the population above 15 being able to read and write. The economy is largely industry-based with a minority population engaged in agriculture.

• However the worst is yet to come for Japan as estimates have shown an increase in the aging population of the country and a decline in the youth rate. With this trend of population decline ,it is speculated that the population of Japan might fall to the 100 million mark by 2050 .