Tackling Ageing Populations in Japan and the EU
January 23, 2008
Officials in Japan and the European Union think they can work together to solve their common problems.
Kuniko Inoguchi, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives and ex-minister for gender equality and social affairs, recently invited a team of European Commission officials to Kyoto to exchange ideas.
"The total fatality rate has been declining and the population in absolute terms is now beginning to shrink," Inoguchi explained "Now, what is the solution to these problems? One of the reasons is lack of gender equality. It’s very difficult to both work and have family for many women."
Extremely low birth-rate
As minister, Kuniko Inoguchi introduced a series of measures aimed at improving childcare and encouraging men to become more involved in the upbringing of their children.
With 126 children per 100 couples, Japan’s birth-rate lies below the EU average which is 148 children per 100 couples.
To prevent Japan’s birth-rate from dropping even more, every couple would have to have at least two children.
New technologies
"The most important thing we can learn is that the EU and Japan have the same problems even though the societies are so different," said Vladimir Spidla, the EU commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, in Kyoto.
"The Japanese are also very technologically advanced," he added. "They are doing more than the Europeans to use new discoveries and technology to solve the problem."
To a certain extent, technological discoveries will replace human labour as the population ages and becomes increasingly in need of care. For example, robots might be used in nursing homes.
Respect for the elderly
By 2030, 30 percent of the Japanese population will be over 65 years old, by comparison with 25 percent in the EU.
"Generally, the Japanese have more respect for the elderly than the Europeans," Spidla claimed. "Nevertheless, there are some very complicated social problems, for example when people retire, their social status tends to be further associated with their work."
This is why few Japanese retire early. The average retirement age is 65 and is expected to go up to 70 so that workers can continue paying into pension schemes.
Expanding the workforce
Another way to tackle the problem of Japan’s ageing and shrinking population would be to make it easier to immigrate to Japan. But the Japanese government’s official position on immigration is clear -- only well-educated people should be allowed to enter the Japanese job market.
Some ministers are calling for unskilled workers to be allowed into the country too. Others want more women to be more integrated into the workforce.
Experts say that if measures are not introduced to expand the workforce, there will not be enough money paid into pension schemes to pay for retired Japanese workers. They fear this could create an economic crisis and are calling for urgent action.