Here are the population statistics highlights from the Japanese Statistics Bureau:
Change in total Japanese population by age group, Dec 07 – May 12 (units: 10,000 persons)
Japanese population Dec 07 - May 12
Not much change, it seems.
It is better to look at the change itself rather than the absolute numbers:
Japanese population change Dec 07 - May 12
Clearly, the 20 – 29 age group is shrinking (aging) the quickest in relative terms, while those above retirement age are increasing – and fast.
4% growth per year in seniors is a big deal, but this is not a linear phenomenon, it is a big wave due to the post-war baby boomers.
The baby boomer generation started to retire last year.
If you own Japanese government bonds, that should send shivers down your spine. I will discuss this in detail later, but consider who is going to pay for this huge amount of pensions. The impact of retirees on the government’s obligations is even worse than that, because there was a portion of retirees who postponed their retirement until 2012, so you have a catch-up effect.
The site has a helpful population pyramid, so you can experience the “holy cow” moment yourself. The upper horizontal line is retirement age:
Japan Population Pyramid
Other fun facts include that Tokyo is still growing (if you have ever been to the outskirts of Tokyo, you really will wonder why…until you go to an industrial town in the countryside), and that the highest proportion of children in Japan can be found in Okinawa (17.7% of Okinawa is under 15 years old), which is also the best place for raw fish and beef.
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