Commentary / World Jun 7, 2021
China’s three-child policy won’t help
by Nancy Qian
But a below-replacement fertility rate is only one part of China’s demographic problem. A second issue is the sheer size of its older population.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN May 29, 2021
Can a celebrity wedding set the mood for romance?
by Kaori Shoji
Yui Aragaki and Gen Hoshino announced they will be getting married, proving the idea that you can't find romance after 30 is an outdated one.
Business | FOCUS May 12, 2021
China bets on productivity over population to drive its economy
China’s total population could peak in the next few years, spurring profound changes for the world’s second-biggest economy.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Apr 24, 2021
In COVID-19's wake, Japan faces a bleaker future
by Mark Schreiber
A "baby shock" now threatens Japan, according to one journalist. Meanwhile, older residents could be shipped off to China?
Commentary / World Mar 29, 2021
China’s accelerating fertility crisis
by Zhang Jun
China has always been cautious about loosening family-planning rules. But, if it is to sustain its economic dynamism in the decades to come, it must work hard to expand its labor force.
Asia Pacific Mar 16, 2021
Last three schoolchildren on Nokdo beach trace South Korea's arc to demographic crisis
by Hongji Kim and Cynthia Kim
South Korea has become the world's fastest-graying society with the lowest birth rate anywhere in 2020, according to the World Bank.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jan 23, 2021
Wisdom often fails the test of time
by Michael Hoffman
National Dec 15, 2020
Along with the scrapping of some services, the firm expects to make annual cost savings of some ¥620 million yen from the move.
Life Oct 8, 2020
Semiautonomous vehicle breathes life into remote Akita village
by Kazuya Ando
As part of a government program, the village of Kamikoani in Akita Prefecture is benefiting from some modern public transport.
National | Regional Voices: Hiroshima Sep 25, 2020
Rules on buying farmland eased in rural Hiroshima amid depopulation
Smaller plots are being made available in a bid to attract younger people from the cities to the countryside.
Business Sep 19, 2020
As COVID-19 persists, Japan looks to send in the robots
by Alex K.T. Martin
A new wave of service machines has emerged amid the coronavirus pandemic to help maintain safety and social distancing.
Commentary / World Jul 22, 2020
by Gwynne Dyer
There is reason to hope that the global population could drop to 4 or 5 billion by 2200.