According to government data released in Japan, the country’s population fell to 124,352,000 as of October 2023. This figure marks the fastest rate of decline recorded so far.
Japan has faced an aging population for the last 13 years. The record-breaking decrease in 2023 is dragging the country into a demographic crisis. Despite government efforts to prevent it, the aging population and low birth rate are pushing up the average age and causing problems such as a labor shortage, economic difficulties, and an increased burden on healthcare services.
A recent event that has been much discussed is the decision by Oji Holdings, specialized in paper production, to stop the production of baby diapers in September due to a sharp decline in demand. Since the company’s sales have nearly halved since 2001, it has decided to increase the production of adult diapers. The fact that Japan’s largest diaper producer, Unicharm, announced in 2011 that adult diaper sales had surpassed those of baby diapers was a harbinger of the dangers facing Japan’s population.
These examples show that adult diaper sales in Japan have been surpassing those of baby diapers for over a decade, and the latest population statistics indicate that this trend will continue as the official figures predict that Japan’s population will decline to 87 million by 2070.
Resources:
- Japonya’nın nüfusu 13 yıldır düşüyor (16 Nisan 2024) NTV. https://www.ntv.com.tr/dunya/japonyanin-nufusu-13-yildir-dusuyor,j8xQi7tDTECM1ekV7njmoQ
- Japonya nüfusu yaşlanıyor: Bir bebek bezi firması yetişkin pazarına yöneldi (24 Mart 2024) BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/turkce/articles/crg6122yx24o
- Japonya İçin Nüfus Projeksiyonları: 2021 – 2070 (Uzun Vadeli Nüfus Projeksiyonları ile: 2071 – 2120) https://www.ipss.go.jp/pp-zenkoku/e/zenkoku_e2023/pp_zenkoku2023e.asp
- Photo by Cory Schadt on Unsplash