Local News

National Population Falls, But Fukuoka Manages Slight Gain

According to demographic statistics released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan’s total population (including foreign residents; current as of Oct. 1, 2013) fell 217,000 to 127,298,000, marking the third straight annual drop. While the population of persons aged 65 and older now accounts for more than a quarter of the population, the working age population or persons aged 15 to 64 has fallen below 80 million for the first time in 32 years. Concerned this trend will push up social security costs for the current generation of workers, the national government is rushing to consider ways to get more women, senior citizens and foreigners into the workforce. In Kyushu, Fukuoka is the only one of the seven prefectures that recorded a population gain, with a rate of increase of 0.09% (besting last year’s rate of 0.03%). While the number of deaths exceed the number of births, the ratio of transplants to people leaving the prefecture was the third highest in Japan. Opinions are split as to whether Japan should expand the intake of foreign workers, but some commentators believe the time is ripe to begin a serious discussion on the pro and cons. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 4/16 (photo Provided by the City of Fukuoka)
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Category
Society
Published: Apr 17, 2014 / Last Updated: Apr 1, 2016

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