Japan's prime minister said Tuesday that his nation needs to attend to its own demographic challenges posed by falling birth rates and an aging population before opening its doors to refugees.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced at the U.N. General Assembly that Japan is ramping up assistance in response to the exodus of refugees to Europe from the Middle East and Africa.

He said Japan will provide $1.5 billion in emergency aid for refugees and for stabilization of communities facing upheaval. But speaking to reporters later Tuesday he poured cold water on the idea of Japan opening its doors to those fleeing.

"I would say that before accepting immigrants or refugees we need to have more activities by women, by elderly people and we must raise (the) birth rate. There are many things that we should do before accepting immigrants".

Comment: Japan had nearly 20,000 applicants for asylum in 2017 but only approved 20. Reuters reports:

Japan accepted just 20 asylum seekers last year - despite a record 19,628 applications - drawing accusations that the country is unfairly closing its door on people in genuine need.

Since 2010, Japan has granted work permits to asylum seekers with valid visas to work while their refugee claims were reviewed, a change the government says has fuelled a dramatic rise in "bogus" applications from people who are simply seeking work.

According to figures released this week, the number of applicants in 2017 rose 80% from a year earlier, when 28 out of almost 11,000 requests were recognised.

Japan's workforce has shrunk by around 2 million since the 1990s, with one in five of the population now elderly and birth rates at a record low. The government has warned of a 'catastrophic' collapse by 2050. Clearly Japan needs to get is house in order.

All countries should focus on the well being of its people. America needs to do the same. We have baby boomers retiring.

Japan's death rate is surpassing its birth rate,which means that the country is LOSING its population,which is causing serious problems to the country's economy....

it seems to me that it is against Japan's best interest to keep people who WANT to move,or immigrate to the country from doing so.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japans-falling-birth-rate-posing-serious-problems-for-economy-a7770596.html

Since Japan began counting its newborns more than a century ago, more than a million infants have been added to its population each year.

No longer, in the latest discomforting milestone for a country facing a steep population decline. Last year, the number of births in Japan dropped below one million for the first time, the ministry of health, labour and welfare said Friday.


The shrinking of the country’s population – deaths have outpaced births for several years – is already affecting the economy in areas including the job and housing markets, consumer spending and long-term investment plans at businesses.

After Japan’s population hit a peak of 128 million at the start of the current decade, it shrank by close to 1 million in the five years through 2015, according to census data. Demographers expect it to plunge by a third by 2060, to as few as 80 million people — a net loss of 1 million a year, on average.

Fewer young people means fewer workers to support a growing cohort of retirees, adding strains to pension and health care systems.

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so,if japan doesn't do SOMETHING to boost its population,in just a few more decades,it will be in SERIOUS trouble,and will lose its status as a major country/world power,and become a minor country that will be a dependent state that will have to be supported by the rest of the world.

Japan is actually doing those refugees a favor..whether they know it or not...FUKUSHIMA is an extinction level event that none of us are being made aware of..DO THE RESEARCH..the truth is out there..tc ..

I can't really disagree with this...and the radiated water is already at our west coastline...

It's a lot worse than they are publicizing..there is information out there everyone should RESEARCH it YOUTUBE is a good source..and if people are thinking about leaving the west coast they may want to drive due to the Wigner effect..wonder why those aircraft windshields are cracking?..they will not release the info for fear of panic..I'm just trying to make everyone aware..DO THE RESEARCH for yourselves and your families..it's just getting worse..watch what you eat especially if it comes out of the Pacific Ocean or is coming from Japan..spread the word..tc..

The thing about it is the 'world order' thinks one way and Japan, France, Sweden and the USA think another way.
What is right for the USA doesn't mean its right for Japan.
Japan is not the USA it's Japan.

Go next door and start dictating to your neighbors how they should manage their own house.

It doesn't matter why Japan is not taking refugees, they're not and that should be allowed, no matter what any other country or people think.

We claim we live in a free world.

I guess Japanese need to drink more alcohol or eat romantic dinners.

Actually the world is over-populated so a declining birth-rate is actually a good thing.

TOP 10 MOST POPULOUS COUNTRIES (July 1, 2018)
1. China 1,384,688,986
2. India 1,296,834,042
3. USA 329,256,465
4. Indonesia 262,787,403
5. Brazil 208,846,892
6. Pakistan 207,862,518
7. Nigeria 195,300,343
8. Bangladesh 159,453,001
9. Russia 142,122,776
10. Japan 126,168,156

One birth every 8 seconds
One death every 12 seconds

SOURCE: http://www.census.gov/popclock/

7.5 BILLION people world-wide.
What other higher-order animals on this planet have a population of 7.5 BILLION?

it might be good for the PLANET,but it DEFINITELY ISNT good for the COUNTRY!!

cuz, "Fewer young people means fewer workers to support a growing cohort of retirees, adding strains to pension and health care systems."

that means that every person in the country will have to produce twice as much,just to keep their head above water,and not even advance their status of living.

that means that the national poverty level of japan will increase exponentially,while its output shrinks exponentially,and they will be forced to be more dependent on aid from other countries.

so,please explain how you think that a declining population will be good FOR JAPAN.

Because people live, on average, less than 100 years.
The spike in high population elderly will decline.
It will decline at a fast rate as time passes.
A lower population level will inherit the infrastructure built to support a higher population.
There will be more support for less people.
Sure, it will be a tough time for awhile but it will pay off with no unemployment and a surplus of goods.
Try to think past a decade (10 years).
If the majority of the population is currently elderly (60+). In 20 years they will be 80+ which is when the current-born will be entering the workforce.
Less people is easier to support, require less space and less food.
Fewer people arguing, fewer committing crimes, fewer getting sick, fewer dying and so on.

except for the fact that the population is CONTINUING TO DECLINE will cancel out the things that you are predicting will happen...

in 20 years,when the people who are 60 will be 80,there will be even FEWER people to support the ones that are 60 at that time.

and,in 20 MORE years,if the population CONTINUES to decline,THOSE 60 year old who will be 80 will have even FEWER young people to take care of them.

this is not a problem,whose statistical odds freeze at a certain point...it is a problem that EXPONENTIALLY worsens,and in a hundred years,how big the infrastructure is will not matter in a positive way,when you only have A HANDFUL of people trying to MAINTAIN the larger-than-necessary infrastructure,AS WELL AS trying to care for the elderly,their healthcare,and pay for their retirement/pensions.

so,UNLESS THE POPULATION DECLINE REVERSES ITSELF,this is a problem that will EXPONENTIALLY GET WORSE as time goes by,NOT IMPROVE,like you are trying to claim.

Okay, I can see your point.
There are also other factors that are negative from a population decline.
Like maintenance of larger than needed infrastructure. 8-Lane highways with only two lanes being used causes deterioration. A thousand patties of rice when only 500 are needed. A hundred gigawatts of power being produced when only 5 gigawatts are used. Huge oil tankers rusting away in ports.
Large portions of the country would begin to decay, not because they have no manpower to maintain it but because there will be no need.

On the humanity side of the equation, its bad to let your elderly die because you love them.

Most importantly tho, is that the population decline is a current trend not an ever-continuing pattern.
If right now, there are 1,000 elderly over 60 and the population declines, next decade there still may be a population of 1,000 that are over 60. But as the current youth begin to reach 60 there will be fewer and fewer elderly because there is no source pool of candidates.
There will still be people reaching 60 but fewer of them all at once.
Plus, by having to deal with an increasing load of caring for many by the few, new methods will be adopted for better efficiency so by the time the younger generations reach the elderly stage needing care there will be better options for their care.

Population needs drive expansion. Thing is, Can population-driven expansion be considered a good thing overall? The way the human species is proliferating its likely we will "Pave the Planet" before we see the problem. All in the name of love for fellow man.
As far as I'm concerned, the entire human population should be halved equally. Globally, one out of every two people gone. Its not going to happen but it would be good for us and the planet.

wasnt that the theme of the latest marvel's 'avengers-infinity war' movie??
lol

I haven't seen Infinity War yet.

Human beings cull other species to keep their population in check.
Sometimes its a direct culling but most of the time it is determined by bag limits and 'prey' specifics (Doe Season).
You can read all about the 'Benefits' to the species we are culling.

What we don't acknowledge is our own over-population problem.
We don't cull ourselves.
Our societies are geared to life extension.
We support our defects and allow them in our gene pool.
We preserve our sick and elderly because of their potential to contribute and for love.

Our over-population causes many of the problems we have today.
We blame people, organizations and corporations but we fail to see what's right in front of us.
We (the human species) have upset the balance of nature.
Nature fights back but we are getting better and better at beating nature's equalizer.

Back on topic:

According to the CIA world Factbook under the Japan sort in the People & Society Tab;

Age structure:
0-14 years: 12.84% (male 8,361,611/female 7,875,045)
15-24 years: 9.64% (male 6,417,085/female 5,778,904)
25-54 years: 37.5% (male 23,435,323/female 23,980,781)
55-64 years: 12.15% (male 7,692,424/female 7,665,157)
65 years and over: 27.87% (male 15,397,309/female 19,847,759) (2017 est.)
See the population trend?
The population decline will not be significant until the 0-14 year age range reaches maturity.

elderly dependency ratio: 42.7
Median age:
total: 47.3 years
male: 46 years
female: 48.7 years (2017 est.)
Right now, 35.5% are caring for 27.87%
But its not as simple as just comparing numbers.
Of the current 27.87% of those 65 or over, that generations' numbers were higher when they were in their prime.
So its not going to be 12.84% caring for 37.5% elderly.

Population growth rate:
-0.21% (2017 est.)
That is a decline of less than 1/4th of a percent right now. (0.0021)
Birth rate:
7.7 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Death rate:
9.8 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
There are still more people dying than being born.
Mother's mean age at first birth:
30.7 years (2015 est.)
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
This means that there are more women being born to the prime age range, an increase in the number of egg bearers. This indicates a population expansion in the future. Not a decline.
Total fertility rate:
1.41 children born/woman (2017 est.)
This indicates a 2/3 ratio which means for every 2 women three people are born. That is expansion.

SOURCE: http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html

i am not trying to argue that the worlds population is not skyrocketing at a rate that is unhealthy for the planet,and completely unsustainable in the long run...
and,in captive herds,we DO excercise husbandry techniques to cull the herds to keep them healthy,which is only ythe logical thing to do,or else nature will do it for us,as it does in non captive herds

in past times,NATURE has taken over,and taken care of controling the worlds populatio of human beings with diseases,and even natural disaters to regulate our numbers,but in these modern times,we have progressed at a rate that allows us to defy nature,and create vaccines to combat these diseases,and since we have progressed from the hunter/gatherer stage into the agriculurist/farming stage,we have allowed ourselves the ability to breed in numbers that would have been unsustainable in ancient times.

BUT,nature will ALWAYS win!!!

we might have developed vaccines,and crops to keep us alive,in spite of nature,and invented ways to ensure that we are superior to our natural predators,but as we grow to numbers that become unsustainable for the planet,it develops new diseases for which we dont have a cure yet,and then THEY evolve into OTHER new diseases,which we must work to find new cures,or perish.

but now, we are nearly at a point where we have polluted our own enviornment that it is close to the danger point where the planet will not be able to sustain us any longer,and THEN,if we allow it to progress to that point,our species will either partially die off to acceptable numbers,and give the planet time to recover,or we will die off completely,and then the planet will heal itself over time,without us pesky little humans doing everything that we can to destroy the thing that gives us life.

so,in the end,WE might not be here,but the PLANET will heal itself,and nature will once again be victorious!

cuz,nature ALWAYS wins!!

and,there is nothing that we can do to stop it,although,if we start acting smarter as a species,we CAN delay the point when that time comes.

Great post

I love any president or leader that thinks for his or her people first. If our governent in Nigeria were good i won't be in Spain today. I love president Trump because of his willingness to help his people (American first ) is so rare to see such president and Japón doing their best also. I pray to see a better nigeria some day

Most nations are multifaceted.
The face they show the world is only part of the real story.
There is another face they show within and still another face shown within their bureaucratic/government hierarchy.

Should they take immigrants?

They give the world reasons not to that may or may not have significance to their actual reasons. Trying to 'save face'.

An exodus is usually brought on by some type of discomfort. Exodus from a natural disaster (volcano) is different than exodus because of living conditions or government.
With an exodus because of government the exodus is caused by the people's lack of will or ability to create a world they can thrive in. A mass exodus signals a serious lack of organization and dedication to their own conditions. In essence, a low self-esteem mentality. Bottom line; they failed to maintain a world in which they want to live.
To take in people with this mindset is charity but dilutes national pride.
It causes stress and that is evident by just observing what has happened in other countries that did take the immigrants in.
It changes national traditions and inserts foreign DNA into the bloodlines (over time).
The immigrants attempt to create, in another nation, the values and traditions of their home nation. When this is restricted, in an attempt to preserve heritage, there are terrorist attacks against the harboring nation from within.
Its better, for the nation, not to take in mass exodus immigrants.

Japan is toast from what I'm seeing ..check out this web site I haven't seen most of these articles on FUKUSHIMA but you all really need to be made aware of this..just check it out and scan these news articles


YouTube: Navy sailors died Fukushima radiation exposure "Major release" of radioactive material over Europe..

from what I'm seeing the population of Japan is the least of our worries..tc..

The Obama administration changed the levels and made the allowable radioactivity in our drinking water alot higher right before he left office..DO the research ..like I said this situation is a lot worse than they are telling us...