Japan - ageing population

Question 1

list and state the environmental factors of Japan

Answer 1

• relief
• climate
• tectonic activity
• farming
• fishing

Question 2

what is the relief of Japan like and the affect on the nation?

Answer 2

mountainous archipelago with islands (Honshu biggest). 70% land is mountainous so people live in small proportion of land so urban areas densely populated. Islands contain fertile valleys and narrow coastal plains

Question 3

What is climate like in Japan and it’s effect?

Answer 3

large north-south extension so climate varies in regions. Mainly temperate but ranges from long cold winters in Hokkaido and coast in North to subtropical in southernmost islands (jan reaches 17). Most cities including Tokyo is temperate to subtropical with 4 seasons. Winters are mild and summers hot and humid. Riny seasons in early summer and typhoons hit parts every year late summer.

Question 4

what is tectonic activity like in Japan and what has it provided?

Answer 4

several continental plates meet so experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions gives fertile soils

Question 5

what is farming like in Japan?

Answer 5

fertile soils with temperate seasonal warmth has fostered intensive agricultural production so pop grew and thrived despite potential of hazards. Terracing is done to overcome relief and increase farmland.

Question 6

what is fishing like in Japan?

Answer 6

archipelagic nature of Japan meant it became seafaring nation with a strong fishing industry which provides for the nation

Question 7

what are resources like in Japan?

Answer 7

small amounts of fossil fuels and mineral deposits

Question 8

who were originally breadwinners and how has this changed?

Answer 8

males originally breadwinners but as post industrial service increased well educated females became more important

Question 9

what impact did more educated females have on Japan’s population?

Answer 9

may have impacted fertility and birth rates
fertility rate = 1.4
birth rate = 8.3/1000
death rates = 9.9/1000

Question 10

what is happening naturally to Japan’s population but what is stabilising it?

Answer 10

naturally decreasing but stabilised due to migration

Question 11

what stage of demographic transition model is Japan and what is predicted to happen to population by 2050?

Answer 11

stage 5
predicted to decline by 30% in 2050 and half by 2050

Question 12

what is the culture of Japan like?

Answer 12

very traditional and paternalistic with loyalty from people who work hard

Question 13

what is work ethic like?

Answer 13

extremely hard

Question 14

what is the average life expectancy?

Answer 14

83 which is the highest in the world

Question 15

what is the dependency ratio?

Answer 15

60 due to more over 65s than under 15s

Question 16

what is Japan going to experience due to a high dependency ratio?

Answer 16

a demographic timebomb by 2025 its predicted 33% of pop will be over 65 increasing to 38% by 2050. pop decline means there is not enough young people to replace the older population dying out.

Question 17

list 5 socio economic factors:

Answer 17

• healthcare
• diet
• air cleanliness
• education
• contraception

Question 18

healthcare in Japan

Answer 18

excellent healthcare, sanitation and high living standards increases life expectancy

Question 19

diets in Japan

Answer 19

very low fat diet with few obesity and heart disease problems

Question 20

air quality in Japan?

Answer 20

clean and use few fossil fuels rely on nuclear and hydroelectric power and use lots of public transport

Question 21

education in Japan

Answer 21

women receive good education and are focussed on careers so have few children

Question 22

contraception in Japan

Answer 22

accessible and widely used
few religious or social taboos

Question 23

pensions in Japan (implication)

Answer 23

25% of gov budget is spent on pensions
2025 problem and timebomb
40% all gov spending on elderly

Question 24

healthcare implication in Japan

Answer 24

since 1960s only a small part of medical care is paid for by retirees through a universal system

Question 25

working population implication of Japan

Answer 25

shrinking quickly negatively impacting domestic economic growth

Question 26

home care implication in Japan

Answer 26

rise in home care by families who have to give up jobs to become solo carers taking away from economic work force

Question 27

care service implication in Japan

Answer 27

pressure on services from elderly means more medical and care workers needed

Question 28

role of NGO’s implication

Answer 28

increased pressure on them to provide care

Question 29

loneliness and quality of life

Answer 29

increasing numbers of elderly living in poor housing or ending up in prison. reoffending high as prison provides better care for some. 3.8 million elderly live alone. more having to return to work

Question 30

manufacturing and globalisation impacts

Answer 30

Japanese manufacturing is still greatly successful and income from large TNC’s like Toyota still brings in revenue to support domestic economy

Question 31

private healthcare

Answer 31

growth specifically for elderly creating jobs and incomes

Question 32

leisure industry

Answer 32

increasing demand for leisure activities and tourism among affluent elderly creating jobs and incomes

Question 33

AI in Japan

Answer 33

robot tech specific to Japan is already worth 1 billion US dollars.
Japan want to built partner robots to assist the elderly, bionic limbs to aid mobility, fetching and carrying and even going to the loo

Question 34

why have taxes been raised?

Answer 34

been raised by 5% with intent to raise by another 5% to gain revenue to maintain care for elderly

Question 35

what is the government encouraging couples to do?

Answer 35

people to have more children with pre natal policies. parents get tax reductions for each child and motherhood showed positively on media

Question 36

what else is the government encouraging?

Answer 36

robot revolution
immigration