Growing old in, and with, Japan

[imomus]

Someone sent me to read John Haffner's interesting blog post Immigration as a Source of Renewal in Japan. It's about Japan "growing old", and it's of particular relevance to me because it's an ambition of mine to grow old as an immigrant in Japan

Comments

Visa

[anonymous]

Will someone not help out with a visa?

Once here, self-sponsor.

Re: Visa

[cczy]

It is strange. You asking about help, but anonymously. How people can send you reply?

[imomus]

This article on the awfulness of pregnancy is also relevant to a discussion of demographics. While aging is no rose garden -- and dying probably hurts -- pregnancy is hell. Apparently.

[imomus]

Just want to add a footnote. It sounds rather as if Haffner is portraying this...

11 workers supported two retirees in 1960

...as the good old days. It's worth bearing in mind that what that figure reflects isn't just a vibrant young thrusting nation. It's also a nation that's recently seen big parts of its population wiped out in a war, and a nation where people die much younger (through worse nutrition and lower standards of living) than they do now.

Japan's problems today are, in a sense, "the problems of paradise".

Also: the population of the UK (an only-slightly-smaller island, 244,000 square kilometers compared to Japan's 377,000) is about half the size of Japan's. Population density in Britain is 248 people per sq km, in the Japan it's 336. Even with a really radical population reduction, Japan simply becomes Britain (with better food). Is that so terrible?

[imomus]

Even with a really radical population reduction, Japan simply becomes Britain

Not really, because the demographics will be very different. The average age in Japan will be much older, which in turn will affect Japan's creativity, energy levels, etc.

[imomus]

Well, right now the average age in the UK is 39, in Japan it's 42.

[imomus]

That gap will surely widen as Japan's population levels decline.

[anonymous]

But have you considered that a declining country won't have any money to keep its social programs afloat? Older people means extra pressure on the health care system, and no one to pay for it. "Growth" is mostly a diseased concept, but is also partly necessary to pay for "growing" expenses.

[imomus]

Population decline: economic consequences puts both the pros and the cons. Here, from that article, are some of the pros

[imomus]

the labor participation rates (which are low in many countries) can also be increased to temporarily reduce or delay the shortage

This was the point I was making about immigrants' loss in Japan being womens' gain. A recent 3Sat documentary about the future of work in Japan also showed a lot of older people (right into their 80s) being employed.

[imomus]

You can watch that documentary online here (German only).

[anonymous]

An absolutely wonderful article! Summed up a lot of what you've said over the past years and added some valuable insights to an important issue. Basically exactly what I want from a Momy article.