Demographic Changes in Japan

Abstract

Population aging is one of the most striking phenomena throughout the world today, changing the way we all live. Japan is no exception. Elders are pulling away from their traditional multigenerational households, to live alone, or as couples.

This qualitative analysis examines historic, archival, and current statistical data, to find changes, nationally and regionally, in the institution of the Japanese family, which differs widely from one region to another. The continuities sustaining the traditional nature of the Japanese family and household are highlighted by analyzing traditional coresidency households in the northern part of the farming region in Tohoku, Yamagata prefecture in particular. Yamagata is different from neighboring prefectures in the region. Similarly, Chap. 2 identified a long-existing unique family household type in the southern part of Kyushu, Kagoshima prefecture in particular, (unlike other prefectures in Kyushu), in which one- and two-person households are the predominant types among the elderly. These analyses support the widely held notion that Japan today is experiencing population aging amid increases in households in which the elderly live alone. Factors accounting for the unique characteristics of households in Yamagata and Kagoshima, respectively, could only be explained through Japanese historical and cultural development. It is traced back to the Ritsuryo system established in 701, which lasted for well over a millennium.

Regional variations in Japan stem from such characteristics as socioeconomic factors, cultural and historical backgrounds, existing family patterns, and urban-rural differences, inherent in each region. They, in turn, interact with community and family traditions to enhance amicable family relationships in the aging society. Furthermore, various programs developed for elderly households could have significant implications for Asian societies that will soon follow the Japanese footsteps.