According to government estimates released on Wednesday, Japan’s total population will shrink to 87 million by 2070, 30% below the 2020 level, Kyodo news agency reported, citing Agerpres.

Mothers with children in TokyoPhoto: Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

The country’s population, which stood at 126.15 million in 2020, will fall below the 100 million mark in 2056, according to estimates by the National Institute for Demographic and Security Studies.

In 2070, foreign residents, including students and workers staying in Japan for more than three months, are expected to account for 10.8% of the population, or 9.39 million people.

It is also predicted that the number of people aged at least 65 will reach 33.67 million in 2070, i.e. 40% of the total population.

Next year, the Japanese government will use these forecasts to calculate future pensions, Kyodo reports.

Almost 30% of Japan’s 125 million residents are now over 65, a world record after Monaco.

According to government data released in late February, the number of births in the country fell below the 800,000 mark in 2022, the lowest since statistics began in 1899 and almost half the number 40 years ago.

Japan will try the “last chance” to stop demographic decline

“In six to seven years, there will be the last chance to turn the birth curve down,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned last month, announcing that his government would try a new set of measures to boost fertility, despite repeated failures to do so since side of his predecessors.

“I want to create a society where young people can marry as they wish, and where everyone can have children and raise them without stress,” Kishida emphasized.

His government is expected to detail the new plan in June, revealing it aims, among other things, to increase benefits for young children, guarantee better wages for young people and ease the burden of education costs on families.

The Japanese government also hopes to increase the percentage of those requesting parental leave to 50% in 2025/2026 and 80% by 2030, up from just 14% in 2021.

To this end, they intend to offer incentives to companies to encourage the use of this leave and increase the amount of parental leave if both parents have resorted to this measure.

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