Tokyo, Japan, Nov 19, 2007 / 10:23 am
The dwindling population of Japan will threaten the "foundation of communities," -- police, fire, and other basic services -- an impending white paper by the Japanese government will report.
Japan's population peaked in 2005 at 127 million people. Current projections forecast a decline of thirty percent by 2050 to 89 million people. On average Japanese women have only one child. The birth rate must average 2.1 children per woman to maintain the population.
At the same time, Japan's population is among the oldest in the world, averaging 43 years of age. By the year 2050, the average Japanese person is predicted to be 61 years old.
During Japan's 2007 Children's Day, the government noted that the number of children in Japan had declined for the 26th consecutive year. 2,000 junior and senior high schools have closed due to lack of children, and some of these buildings are being converted into senior care centers. Pediatricians are changing their specialty to geriatric care, while some lonely seniors pretend child-like robot dolls are substitute grandchildren.