VCE Geography Unit 4 Outcome 3 - Case Study: Japan

Location of japan

East Aisa

36.2° N 138.2° E

Population statistics

124 million

‘hyper-aged’ - >30% of citizens are over 65

median age is 48 - nearing post reproductive years

aging and declining pop

uneven distribution of pop - higher in the south

capital city is tokyo - 13 million people live there

literacy rate is 99%

highest average life expectancy in the world - 88 for women & 81 for men

Geographic features

made up of around 6800 islands

¾ is mountainous because of tectonic plate movement along pacific ridge

temp is temperate, varies from north to south

37,000 square kilometers, which is about 120th the size of Australia

What is causing the shrinking & aging population (population dynamics data)

current DTM stage: 5

peak pop was 148 million in 2010

pop pyramid went from: pyramid to coffin

BR: 6 per 1000 people

DR: 12 per 1000 people

TFR: 1.21

IMR: 1.50 (good healthcare)

LE: 84 yrs

pop growth rate: -0.4% (2024)

About the smaller workforce in Japan

Workforce has been declining since 1995

because of aging population

less people contributing to the economy

Social drivers for a smaller workforce

Social/cultural drivers

• low birth rate - 6

• high life expectancy - 84

• work habits - 11% of employees work >60 hours per week (8 hours each day w/ no weekends)

• family-based support for the elderly means less time at work, making money and contributing to the economy

• Traditional gender roles - women leave the workforce once they get married and have children

What is the trend in the data

Aging and shrinking population

One issue the population faces becuse of shrinking & aging population

smaller work force, smaller domestic market, less women having children

Context for smaller work force

• Employment-to-population ratio is 60.2% in 2024

• minimum mandatory retirement age is 60

• uneven old age dependency ratio

• working-age population fell 13% (from 87.3 million in 1995 to 73.7 million in 2024)

• low immigration - represent only about 2% of Japan's population (approximately 2.93 million people in 2020)

• Only about 11% of Japan's land is arable

Context for smaller domestic market

smaller population directly results in a smaller domestic market and less demand for goods and services, negatively impacting the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Context for women having less children

• Childbearing in Japan is strongly linked to marriage, but marriage rates are falling

• average age of marriage for Japanese women has increased to 29.9 years. This results in fewer reproductive years to have children

• Long working hours - averaging up to 60 hours per week for employees

• 11% working > 60 hours

• More than 50% of women stop working after the birth of their first child

• husbands contribution to household tasks never exceed 5.3 hours per week on average

• husbands have estimated 1 hour of childcare contribution compared to 3 in the USA and Germany

what are the challenges faced because of the smaller work force, smaller domestic market, less women having children

WF -Increased Elderly Dependency Ratio - elderly dependency ratio increased rapidly

• 7 economically active individuals supporting each person over 65 in 1985

• 2.8 in 2010

• projected to fall to 1.7 by 2035

• less government revenue from taxation

• Benefits for the aged account for about 70% of Japan's total social security expenditure

• exceeds ¥2,200 billion annually and is expected to grow

• proportion of the 0 to 14 age group has significantly reduced, almost by one-third between 1950 and 2020, to 12%

What’s a response to Increased Elderly Dependency Ratio

self-driving tractors using GNSS (geographic navigation satellite systems)

• first automatic tractor was made in 2017

• updated in 2020 with x-tractor (which uses AI)

• 11,000 units were sold in 2024

• 38% of tractors sold in 2024 are semi-automatic

• costs between $160-$250 AUD NEW

• operated with supervision

• provides accurate plowing, seeding & fertilization

How has the Kubota tractors affected the environment

Environ Factors

• reducing waste or runoff of fertilizers

how has the Kubota tractors affected the economy

Economic factors

• significant investment - $160,000 and $250,000 Australian Dollars.

• reduce the labor needed in the fields - lead to cost savings for farmers by lowering labor expenses

• Improved Efficiency and Accuracy - X-Tractor model, updated in 2020, uses AI to achieve accuracy between 1-5 cm, leads to more efficient use of resources and potentially higher yields

how has the Kubota tractors affected the social

Social factors

• Response to Aging Farmers - helps alleviate the physical demands of farming

• average age of Japanese farmers increased from 51 years in 1980 to 65 years in 2020, with 70% of farmers aged 65 years and over in 2020

Effectiveness (SAFFEIT)

sustainability - could prevent eventual runoff, keeps waterways healthy

accessibility - expensive (160,000-250,000 AUD), able to be accessed on phone

flexibility - precise between 1-5 cm accuracy using AI

fairness - using a retrofitted tractor ($17,000 AUD)

effectiveness - uses GNSS/QZSS (quasi-zenith satellite system) to reduce labor shortages

incentives - the profit from the more precise harvesting

time - reduces travel time to operate vehicle