Country Comments

Japan has over seven times as many citizens than its country can sustain with its renewable resources. The affluent nation has seen a below replacement fertility rate for 4 decades. The past decade has seen an increasing decline in actual population levels which will continue for the foreseeable future.

This population contraction is an economic concern because of the enormous debt level of the country, which as the population declines increases each citizen’s obligation. However reducing population to more sustainable levels will ultimately provide greater national security for Japan. From an environmental perspective diminishing population has been a windfall for natural restoration in many places where human numbers and economic activity on land and waters once existed but have since pulled back.