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Japan's population to shrink by a third by 2065

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4Tran

Member
Other people in the thread have brought up automation, but we desperately need to challenge this particular assumption.

Automation produces massive wealth without requiring people to be employed. That is the entire point. Currently, that created wealth flows directly to the wealthy people in society who own firms. If that wealth is redistributed, then we could easily sustain a population where retirees greatly outnumber the number of people in the labor force.
The main problems in Japan stem from underemployment among the youth. Automation only serves to exacerbate this problem, so it's going to make things even worse rather than solving anything. The social and economic issues have plagued Japan since the end of the '80s and they haven't gotten any better.
 
I'd love to move to Japan but the work culture seems to be a huge detriment. Though, there is a lot to love about the country. Learning Japanese is my biggest hump to get over if I really were dedicated to moving.

There are faaaaar bigger humps than just work culture and language.

Go play Persona 5 and then tell me you still want to move to Japan. Place is kinda a social hellscape that's long past its golden age. And I'd say Persona 5 is being saccharine in comparison to what Japan's social issues are like in reality.
 
There are faaaaar bigger humps than just work culture and language.

Go play Persona 5 and then tell me you still want to move to Japan. Place is kinda a social hellscape that's long past its golden age. And I'd say Persona 5 is being saccharine in comparison to what Japan's social issues are like in reality.

Japan really needs a hippie revolution. The government should legalize weed and encourage people to try it. I'm sure the west coast of the US (and soon to be Canada) would love to be an import source.

Edit: As someone who has lived, studied, and worked in Japan And has experience blazing there I'd be all about helping foster that cultural revolution. Just go full 1960's US counter culture; the clothes, style, music and everything.
 
Hey at least that'll lower their carbon footprint right?

Hopefully this doesn't slow down anime production. I need that Attack on Titan season 3!

I'm remember seeing a bunch of commercials like this one when watching a Shark Tank marathon a few months ago.
 

DavidDesu

Member
With any luck they might begin some kind of scheme to get ordinary folk from overseas to move there to take over ordinary relatively qualification-lite jobs. Imagining elderly care. Would love to have a way to move to Japan someday. Don't think I could teach English (confidence issues) and that's about the only easy-ish way to be able to move to Japan at the moment.
 
There are faaaaar bigger humps than just work culture and language.

Go play Persona 5 and then tell me you still want to move to Japan. Place is kinda a social hellscape that's long past its golden age. And I'd say Persona 5 is being saccharine in comparison to what Japan's social issues are like in reality.

This is the type of post that lets you know someone has no idea what they're talking about lol
 
With any luck they might begin some kind of scheme to get ordinary folk from overseas to move there to take over ordinary relatively qualification-lite jobs. Imagining elderly care. Would love to have a way to move to Japan someday. Don't think I could teach English (confidence issues) and that's about the only easy-ish way to be able to move to Japan at the moment.

I don't think you'd want to be working in a "training" program for unskilled workers in Japan...
Then there the whole role of Japan's terrible internship laws which are literally akin to something you would see in Gulf Arab states:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt__lHCuH5g
 
Fewer people, more resources per person.

I'm sure there will be challenges to overcome, but I don't believe haphazardly busting out babies actually does any civilization any good, unless making meat shields for your army or boosting your bible belt for republican votes is your end goal.
 

4Tran

Member
Fewer people, more resources per person.

I'm sure there will be challenges to overcome, but I don't believe haphazardly busting out babies actually does any civilization any good, unless making meat shields for your army or boosting your bible belt for republican votes is your end goal.
In a vacuum you'd be absolutely correct. The Earth would be a better place to live if there were a lot less people around. However the specific example of Japan and the way it's experiencing its population decline demonstrate the kind of negative consequences that can happen to an industrialized country.
 

Amakuni

Member
How is this bad thing? I can't fathom why anyone would want the population to increase when resources are scarce, there are an abundance of overcrowded cities/countries, environmental concerns ect. Especially considering the millions fleeing war-town/third world countries, cramming large portions of the population to a few select areas. I almost wish there were strict laws regarding family size in countries like India, China and perhaps even the United States.

We could all benefit from less people in this world.
 

Timbuktu

Member
How is this bad thing? I can't fathom why anyone would want the population to increase when resources are scarce, there are an abundance of overcrowded cities/countries, environmental concerns ect. Especially considering the millions fleeing war-town/third world countries, cramming large portions of the population to a few select areas. I almost wish there were strict laws regarding family size in countries like India, China and perhaps even the United States.

We could all benefit from less people in this world.

You mean like the one child policy?

I guess it really is about if it is well planned and the pace and reasons behind a population decline, Japanese has one less tool to mitigate against it by restrictive and xenophobic immigration policies.
 

LosDaddie

Banned
Well, it's not like the world's population is decreasing.

Japan will just have to adjust its immigration laws, and incentivize citizens to procreate.
 

JPLMD

Member
Good, maybe then they will change their incredibly xenophobic and ignorant views of other races (especially towards other Asians) and realize that open immigration is actually beneficial for the country.
 

Pancake Mix

Copied someone else's pancake recipe
Welcome to the future of the world!

www.GIFCreator.me_5mrHH5.gif


http://www.ilikecharts.com/japan-isnt-dying-we-all-are/
 
Do they think without gay marriage that LGBT people just go "welp guess I'll procreate in a heteronormative relationship now"

Honestly... your not far from the truth.

LGBT here in Japan is a bit strange. It's both accepted but not really acknowledged. Like there is very little real active hate, anger, or violence against the community but that also results in very little information about it or its issues leading to no one really considering them as a problem.

Also a certain portion though not all, is very aware that they or their family member is LGBT, will still get married, have a kid (or more) because its the thing to do if they are in a position to do so. Then go ahead and go about their LGBT lifestyle again. It's not unaccepted but like a lot of things here, even if everyone knows the "scandalous" secret its viewed more as "that's just how it is." Heck even last year a drinking buddy who is very well known to be gay got married to a lady in his office. No idea why to be honest, but "that's how it is."

Either way, all foreigners wanting to bang their asian fetish hidden behind the curtain of "they need immigration!" aside. The real issues are stemmed from the top of corporations and government like others said. They are making it not only inconvenient but flat out more desirable to stay out of relationships for longer and longer, before people know it they are in their 40's and have no kids while their potential love prospects have floundered as well.

Then there are the various "service" industries that basically thrive on single men and the lecherous bosses that drag them out to them at least once a week lol.
 

JordanN

Banned
What's ironic about Japan's xenophobia is wont this allow for international businesses to come in and buy up the country?

Imagine being a businessman/woman in 2065 and all the competition in Japan is literally 80 year old CEO's? They wont be able to put up much of a resistance without endangering their health.
 

JordanN

Banned
Is this the end for anime?

We need to keep fucking and send our babies over there.

Isn't most anime actually outsourced?

It's the countries like Vietnam or South Korea that do the heavy lifting animating inbetweens. So Japan dying doesn't really affect anime.
 

Pancake Mix

Copied someone else's pancake recipe
Not sure, just looking forward to it, if it happens. I don't see what other choice they have, if they want to fix the problem.

Well it's just, by the time they figure it out, declining population might be pretty normal worldwide.

We're going to have to grow accustomed to lower birthrates everywhere. People may not think much about it much in the 2010's, but as the decades go on.
 

kswiston

Member
I laughed when I saw the title, 2065 is wishful thinking.

Every generation thinks that theirs will be the end days. The world will still be around in 50 years. Society will still be around in 50 years. Global Warming will make a lot of things worse, but it's not going to magically result in Waterworld.
 
I was there a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Sorry?

You enjoyed working 7am - 12am+ daily while your pay only counts 8:30am - 5pm? cause I hate to break it to you generally us foreigners get a vastly different work life balance no matter how long we work here. Even better is the guise of work parties / drinking with the boss or other co-workers being for fun and not work... 95% of the time that is work.
 

The Mule

Member
Well it's just, by the time they figure it out, declining population might be pretty normal worldwide.

We're going to have to grow accustomed to lower birthrates everywhere. People may not think much about it much in the 2010's, but as the decades go on.

Sweet, immigration incentives all over the world!
 
You enjoyed working 7am - 12am+ daily while your pay only counts 8:30am - 5pm? cause I hate to break it to you generally us foreigners get a vastly different work life balance no matter how long we work here. Even better is the guise of work parties / drinking with the boss or other co-workers being for fun and not work... 95% of the time that is work.

The hell kind of job are you working
 

Amakuni

Member
You mean like the one child policy?

I guess it really is about if it is well planned and the pace and reasons behind a population decline, Japanese has one less tool to mitigate against it by restrictive and xenophobic immigration policies.


Yeah that's a great idea. In my opinion they should do a two child policy though, that would be reasonable and keep the population stable. It's disgusting that there are so many families out their with over 5 children that can't even support them without help from the government. It would only serve to benefit our economy and environment.
 
The hell kind of job are you working

Not me thankfully. But my supervisor and other co-workers generally do this nonsense. Among a pretty big part of the country sadly.

Everyone wants to look good, dedicated to the job, the boss will see that your a hard worker and when the new year comes around, boom promotion time. Even when there is nothing to really do which is most of that time (or is simply bogged down in the nonsense bureaucracy of this place.) Come in early and look busy, clean something, organize paper, set up snacks or something... work day starts and ends, but stay behind and look busy again, even if there was extra work it can't possibly take that long if your competent at your job (imo), leave after or with the boss. Sometimes the boss will say something like you worked hard today, lets get a drink and now your out drinking with the boss for a few hours, THEN you go home.

The later may not be daily (though it is multiple times a week for some sadly) but its no secret people stay at work well after their actual end time. Happens with my friend who joined a bank last year. He ALWAYS has to go out drinking with his boss on Friday, sometimes on Saturday too his boss will call for drinks or say come to my house for dinner and drinks... its pretty crazy how it kinda never really ends and how much people need to have their work persona on.
 
Not me thankfully. But my supervisor and other co-workers generally do this nonsense. Among a pretty big part of the country sadly.

Everyone wants to look good, dedicated to the job, the boss will see that your a hard worker and when the new year comes around, boom promotion time. Even when there is nothing to really do which is most of that time (or is simply bogged down in the nonsense bureaucracy of this place.) Come in early and look busy, clean something, organize paper, set up snacks or something... work day starts and ends, but stay behind and look busy again, even if there was extra work it can't possibly take that long if your competent at your job (imo), leave after or with the boss. Sometimes the boss will say something like you worked hard today, lets get a drink and now your out drinking with the boss for a few hours, THEN you go home.

The later may not be daily (though it is multiple times a week for some sadly) but its no secret people stay at work well after their actual end time. Happens with my friend who joined a bank last year. He ALWAYS has to go out drinking with his boss on Friday, sometimes on Saturday too his boss will call for drinks or say come to my house for dinner and drinks... its pretty crazy how it kinda never really ends and how much people need to have their work persona on.

Yeah, bureaucracies are the worst examples of that culture. I and most people I know work in less traditional industries so we're not weighted down with that stuff for the most part
 
Pretty much every East/Southeast Asian country which passes beyond developing status seems to follow the same arc . I've seen projections before which show potential outcomes where China barely outranks the US in population next century.
 
Why is a shrinking population a bad thing?

For dozens of reasons, but in terms of economics, old, retired people generate virtually no tax revenue, yet are a very large tax burden on the government.

Old people get sick at a higher rate, require more services, are less able to get around on their own, consume fewer taxable goods, and in countries where programs like "social security" exist (that is, payments for being old so you don't have to work), those programs are paid for by the disproportionately larger number of young people who are presumed to be working, and thus being taxed.

Outside of the disastrous revenue shortfall is a waterfall of other affects like property vacancies causing a rapid devaluation of property, which devalues other assets, which undermines economic valuation. Real estate is a cornerstone of most modern economies and vacant commercial & residential properties plummet the value of other properties. It creates an economic cascade.

This isn't as much of a problem when there are high levels of immigration, but there aren't high levels of immigration to Japan, and that's not changing.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
The hell kind of job are you working

It's kind of the reality for a large portion of Japanese professionals.

Maybe not those exact times, but the post you're quoting wasn't necessarily absurd.
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
I'm sitting in a Japanese workplace right now, (a school), I arrive around 820 and leave at 415 pretty much every day. But, the perm employees typically arrive an hour or even more earlier than me and stay for 2-4 hours longer than me.

I work a standard working day, but because I don't work the extended hours I'll never be viewed as a "real" teacher by most Japanese staff.

It really is horrible and it's the norm from my experiences.
 

Mikey Jr.

Member
Japan seems like a great place to vacation, but not to live.

I honestly think Xenophobia is a huge thing there, same with their fucking obsession with honor and shame and shit like that.

It is rooted in their culture though. So I really don't see immigrants doing too well there.

That whole place feels toxic and they'll go down right till the bitter end.
 

Korey

Member
For dozens of reasons, but in terms of economics, old, retired people generate virtually no tax revenue, yet are a very large tax burden on the government.

Old people get sick at a higher rate, require more services, are less able to get around on their own, consume fewer taxable goods, and in countries where programs like "social security" exist (that is, payments for being old so you don't have to work), those programs are paid for by the disproportionately larger number of young people who are presumed to be working, and thus being taxed.

Outside of the disastrous revenue shortfall is a waterfall of other affects like property vacancies causing a rapid devaluation of property, which devalues other assets, which undermines economic valuation. Real estate is a cornerstone of most modern economies and vacant commercial & residential properties plummet the value of other properties. It creates an economic cascade.

This isn't as much of a problem when there are high levels of immigration, but there aren't high levels of immigration to Japan, and that's not changing.

Easy solutions: raise the retirement age, demolish buildings.
 

gun_haver

Member
I'm sitting in a Japanese workplace right now, (a school), I arrive around 820 and leave at 415 pretty much every day. But, the perm employees typically arrive an hour or even more earlier than me and stay for 2-4 hours longer than me.

I work a standard working day, but because I don't work the extended hours I'll never be viewed as a "real" teacher by most Japanese staff.

It really is horrible and it's the norm from my experiences.

do they get paid for that extra time with a higher salary? or, what are they doing for those extra 2-4 hours?

i'm kind of expecting the answer to be no to the first question and 'nothing they couldn't do the next day' to the second one.
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
Also, I personally believe the reason they aren't open to immigrants is due to a fear of having an influx of new citizens who haven't been through their ideological education system.
 
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