Topic: Japanese life
Demographic obstacles in Asia's way
Straits Times / Fri April 2- - .....Japan is the worst example of an ageing Asian country. In 2025, 30 per cent of its population will be over 65. It will have 'nearly as many .... the economic consequences of Japan's ageing population may not be as dire as predicted... Greying Japan's economy is bound to slow, but that doesn't mean it won't grow at all....
.... that China may suffer worse economic consequences from its ageing population. Nearly 300 million Chinese, or 21.4 per cent of the population, will be over 60 in 2025. 'To put the matter bluntly, Japan became rich before it became old; China will do things the other way around.'
.....problems in China: a virtually non-functioning pension system; a one-child policy leaving a one-to-one ratio between elderly parents and the children obliged to support them; and the combination of relatively less healthy ageing and the relatively more arduous nature of work in the country leaving fewer older Chinese productive...