But maybe I don't need to move to Fukuoka. Hawaii has the longest life expectancy in the United States, just a year and a half shy of Japan's: 81.3 years in 2007.
Japan, like South Korea, finds increasing longevity to be a mixed blessing. Aging individuals, minus replacement-level fertility (2.1 children per woman), means an aging population, defined as the percentage of the population over 65 years of age. It is reaching crisis levels in Japan, where people don't know who is going to take care of tomorrow's septuagenarians, octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians.South Korea, according to the WHO, still has the lowest fertility rate in the world, and that means that a similar crisis could be brewing. South Korea may yet resolve this problem with increased immigration even if the fertility rate doesn't go back to two-children-per-woman, but Japan still seems reluctant to embrace that idea.
The world's population is set to top off at 9 billion around the middle of this century — definitely within my expected lifetime — but we do not have an economic model for how to manage to maintain a social safety net for citizens in such situation.
"It is reaching crisis levels in Japan, where people don't know who is going to take care of tomorrow's septuagenarians, octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians."
ReplyDeleteI thought that was what the all those robots are for.
Oops, sorry. Yeah, I know the real reason for the robots is for sex, which I'm pretty sure is the cause of the decreasing replacement offspring. Why should you ever leave home when you have both your computer and sex robot there? Can you imagine life without the nagging, shopping, and in-laws, and all the sex you can handle on tap anytime night or day with your own, never aging, Kelly LeBrock (circa 1984)? You could even grow old with your hotbot if you so desired. I, on the other hand, would always be upgrading to the latest and greatest coming off the assembly lines.
Hey, just curious (and off the main topic)...but why did you single out Fukuoka in your references to moving to Japan? By the way, I believe Okinawa has more centenarians concentrated in a small area than any other place in Asia.
ReplyDeleteJohn from Taejŏn wrote:
ReplyDeleteI thought that was what the all those robots are for.
That is what the robots are for.
I'll get to the part about sex, robots, work, and porn later. There are actually academic works related to the subject. And who said demography was boring?
LastnameKim wrote:
ReplyDeleteHey, just curious (and off the main topic)...but why did you single out Fukuoka in your references to moving to Japan?
People I know there, its very close proximity to Korea (seriously, I might end up teaching there), its warm weather, and it being the most livable city in Asia. I don't know, I just like the place.
By the way, I believe Okinawa has more centenarians concentrated in a small area than any other place in Asia.
Individual aging plus population aging, so I'd guess yeah.
I should find a link to a Japanese population pyramid. Maybe I'll post them. They're quite shocking when you see the data in visual form.
95, I'll second your selection of Fukuoka. I have been there a handful of times over the past 10 years and every time I go, it seems to get better. The weather is very nice there too and there are a lot of references to historical Korean ties here and there if you know where to look. I remember looking all over for the Mongol invasion walls (or what's left of them) and even the locals didn't know where they were...but I found them.
ReplyDelete