It is possible that one day Japan will have only one child under the age of 14 among its population. In any case, this is what Hiroshi Yoshida, professor at the Research Center on the Economy and Society of the Elderly, at Tohoku University, reveals.
The researcher developed a conceptual clock highlighting Japan’s population decline, while displaying the number of children in the country in real time. The clock shows the number of children alive for the current year, as well as for previous years, and tracks its decrease every second.
Based on official data from the Japanese Bureau of StatisticsHiroshi Yoshida managed to estimate the day when the number of children under 14 will fall to… one. And according to his calculations, this day should occur on January 5, 2720, or in 695 years.
The latest studies, which report a decrease in the child population of 2.3%, have brought the date forward by more than 100 years compared to the estimate made by Hiroshi Yoshida in 2023. The researcher makes estimates around of these figures since 2012, as recalled by Japan Times.
Japan has been facing a significant decline in its population for several years, which is expected to fall from 121 million inhabitants in 2023 to 80 million by 2100. This decrease is mainly explained by a drop in the number of marriages and a increase in the number of singles among Japanese.
Indeed, at the end of the first half of 2024, the number of births in Japan reached its lowest level since 1969, according to figures communicated by the government: between January and June 2024, the country recorded 350,074 births, i.e. decrease of 5.7% compared to the same period in 2023.
A dating app to revive marriages
Japanese leaders, aware of the urgency of the situation, are increasing initiatives to try to stop this infernal dynamic which is hitting the country, themselves describing this demographic trend as alarming. In Tokyo, in order to boost the birth rate, the government has even launched a dating application.
To reinforce the sense of urgency within Japanese society, the dating app’s website claims that “Marriage is a decision based on one’s values, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is working to create momentum for marriage so that those who plan to one day get married can take that first step.”
From France, this problem may seem surprising and the means deployed unusual. Although we are not facing a demographic decline as marked as in Japan, the number of births has decreased significantly between 2022 and 2023: 678,000 compared to 726,000, a drop of 52,000 births.
This worrying trend was also underlined by Emmanuel Macron, who spoke of the need for a “demographic rearmament”. So, let’s not be surprised if government-sponsored dating apps soon emerge in France.
Source: www.slate.fr
