Case Study- Aging Pop Japan

What percentage of Japanese are expected to be older than 65 by the year 2055?

41%

Japan's population is expected to shrink from 127 million people to __ by 2055.

87 million

In 2011, what was the rate of natural population change in Japan?

-0.28%

What does a negative population growth rate mean?

The size of the population decreasing

What is the dependency ratio in Japan?

60

As Japan's population becomes increasingly older, what will happen to the dependency ratio?

It will increase

What is the life expectancy in Japan?

82 years

Between 1995 and 2025 how much is the extra cost of providing pensions expected to increase in Japan?

Nearly double

How many elderly Japanese people are on a waiting list for a place at a care home?

420,000

How many Japanese workers have been forced to give up their job so they can look after their elderly relatives?

130,000

Japan raised the age that people can receive their pension from the government from 60 to ?

65

Japan has increased the 5% sales tax by how much?

They have doubled it

A new law has been passed allowing fathers to take up to how many weeks paid leave after the birth of a child?

8 weeks

Japan's population pyramid has a wide or narrow base?

Narrow

What is the fertility rate in Japan?

1.3 children per woman

What is the replacement rate?

2.08 - the fertility rate required to maintain the current population

What are the two main things a government with an ageing population must pay for?

1. Health care

2. Pensions

Why does a decreasing number of people of working age put pressure on the governments finances?

The government receives less money in taxes to pay for health care and pensions (which cost more as the number of elderly increase).

On the population pyramid for Japan the ageing population is increasing or decreasing?

Increasing

On the population pyramid for Japan the working age population is increasing or decreasing?

Decreasing

Why is the fertility rate in Japan so low? (4 reasons)

1. Children are expensive

2. Women have careers and delay having children

3. A culture of hard work leaves no time to have children

4. People need to care for their elderly parents

Encouraging in-migration is a possible solution to the ageing population problem. Why is it not popular though? (2 reasons)

1. Will threaten the Japanese culture

2. Foreigners must learn to speak and write Japanese to stay there