Event Detail

Declining mortality and fertility rates in Japan are resulting in an aging population and a shrinking workforce. Japan had the highest percentage of elderly population in the world in 2010, at approximately 23 percent of the total population. This percentage is expected to increase further to approximately 40 percent by 2050. Over the same period, Japan's working-age population is expected to decline from approximately 64 percent to 52 percent, with the entire population declining from 128 million to 95 million. Not only are these changes significant, but they are occurring and expected to continue at a much faster pace than similar changes occurred in Western developed countries.

What is behind these changes and what are their policy implications? What are the prospects for effective governmental action--whether adoption of policies promoting immigration and women's participation in the workforce, adjustments to pension and long-term care insurance benefits, or other actions?

The FDI Committee has invited Professor Noriko Tsuya of Keio University to share her insights on these questions which are of fundamental importance for all businesses operating in Japan. Professor Tsuya, an engaging and energetic speaker, is an expert on population change in Asia and developed countries and currently serves as Chair of the Population and Social Statistics Subcommittee within the Cabinet Office. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear from her on the demographic prospects and policy implications facing Japan.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY: Noriko Tsuya is professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University in Tokyo and was formerly a research fellow, East-West Center in Hawaii. She was also visiting professor at California Institute of Technology. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago with specialization in demography and social statistics/quantitative methodology. Her research focuses on fertility and family change in Asia and developed countries. She is a member of the Science Council of Japan, the country's national academy, chairing the subcommittee on population change and economy. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Population Association of Japan, as well as a member of several government committees, including the Statistics Committee of Cabinet Office, chairing the subcommittee on population and social statistics; the Social Security commission of Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, chairing the committee