A senior adult with a walker strolls down a sunny residential street in Kyoto, Japan.

Japan is shrinking even as people live longer

Japan’s population peaked at 128.1 million in 2008, then began to decline. The reason is simple but powerful: people are living longer, while too few children are being born to replace them.

Why Japan Is Aging So Fast

A serene scene of an elderly couple sitting by the river in Japan, surrounded by autumn foliage.

A long life changed everything

After World War II, life expectancy rose fast, reaching 85.1 years in 2016. Better nutrition, medical care, and living conditions helped create one of the longest-lived populations on Earth.

Why Japan Is Aging So Fast

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