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July 25, 2026
 

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DEMOGRAPHICS

China¡¯s demographic spiral is now resembling that of ancient Rome, where changing social norms and drastic population-control measures led to falling birth rates and irreversible decline.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2025
What ancient Rome can teach China about demographic collapse
China¡¯s situation, however, is particularly perilous. Unless it is reversed, a demographic decline of this magnitude could recall the collapse of the Roman Empire.
A family travels by motorbike in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is grappling with two significant challenges: a declining birth rate, prompting policy shifts to encourage larger families, and the economic threat of U.S. tariffs.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 13, 2025
Vietnam has far bigger worries than its baby bust
Vietnam is grappling with two significant challenges: a declining birth rate, prompting policy shifts to encourage larger families and the economic threat of U.S. tariffs.
Declining birth rates in China are driven by a myriad of causes, such as a shrinking childbearing-age population, lifestyle changes, the one-child policy¡¯s lasting effects, an oversupply of men and high youth unemployment.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2025
Why China¡¯s marriage crisis matters
According to China¡¯s 2020 census, 61% of babies are born to women aged 20 to 30. But the number of women in this cohort dropped from 111 million in 2012 to 73 million in 2024.
The Bank of Korea complex in Seoul. South Korea's economic growth is hindered by structural challenges like high living costs, a tough job market and an aging population.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2024
The Bank of Korea moves beyond monetary policy
Many Koreans are pessimistic about the future, which reflects the intense competition that defines their lives, from education to employment.
The United Nations once projected the world¡¯s population would peak at 10.3 billion in the 2080s, but now expects 700 million fewer inhabitants by 2100.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2024
Why falling fertility is not a crisis
The current population decline mirrors past transitions like the industrial revolution, where smaller families fueled economic growth and innovation.
Japan has been trying to boost its fertility rate for 30 years and now the rest of the rich world is, too.
WORLD / Society
Oct 14, 2024
Can the government get people to have more babies?
The number of babies born in Japan last year fell to the lowest level since the government started collecting statistics in 1899.
The rates of unmarried Japanese have been rising across every age group. More than 90% of women age 30-34 were married in 1980, versus 65% now.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 11, 2024
Tokyo government¡¯s ¡®Tinder¡¯ is actually a good idea
The rates of unmarried Japanese have been rising across every age group. More than 90% of women aged 30-34 were married in 1980, versus 65% now.
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023
Don¡¯t worry about global population collapse
While environmentalists have long warned of a planet with too many people, now some economists are warning of a future with too few.
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 2, 2022
At 119, she was a symbol of how to live with wit and vitality
Kane Tanaka, who died in Japan last month, survived two world wars, the 1918 influenza outbreak, paratyphoid and two rounds of cancer.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2022
China¡¯s abortion problem can¡¯t be regulated away
China¡¯s demographic crisis is much worse than official figures suggest. That is why the authorities have rushed out a series of recent measures, including restrictions on abortion.
BUSINESS / Longform
Apr 4, 2022
Reimagining Japan¡¯s growing glut of empty homes
Entrepreneurs see an opportunity in Japan¡¯s abandoned properties as businesses try to change them from liabilities into assets.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2020
Age discrimination is bad for business
Not acting forcefully on ageism will increasingly carry a heavy cost for politicians.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / 2010s: Decade in Review
Nov 16, 2019
The gray wave: Japan attempts to deal with its increasingly elderly population
Eighty-one-year-old Sachiko Miura wakes up at 6 a.m. every day to prepare breakfast at her newly renovated apartment located near a large supermarket, spa and a hospital in the suburbs of Japan¡¯s third largest city.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2019
Generation X faces a bleak future
As Gen Xers passed through each stage of life, they have been living through the worst possible time to be whatever age they happened to be.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 18, 2019
The fate of Japan, and everyone else
The world¡¯s third largest economy is slowly going out of business; its population is shrinking and it resists immigration.
EDITORIALS
Sep 26, 2018
Keeping elderly workers in the labor force longer
if society needs its senior citizens to work longer, an overhaul of the system for their employment should be carried out.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 7, 2018
Australia¡¯s population to hit 25 million, a decade earlier than forecast
Australia¡¯s population will hit a record 25 million Tuesday, almost a decade earlier than projected, as it attracts hundreds of thousands of migrants each year, latest government data shows.
EDITORIALS
Jul 13, 2018
Municipality reforms critical as population drops
Reforms are needed to ensure residents continue to receive necessary services as the nation¡¯s population grays and grows smaller.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 19, 2018
What¡¯s so good about Japan¡¯s demography?
The nation¡¯s labor force is shrinking, educated and dedicated — attributes that match the needs of a knowledge-based economy
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2018
Administrative services amid the falling population
As the nation¡¯s population declines, the government should promote deregulation to give municipalities more freedom to outsource their administrative services to local businesses and civic groups.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji
Around 200,000 people typically scale the 3,776 meter Mount Fuji each year.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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