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Demographics
A view of Shibuya crossing, an example of Tokyo's often crowded streets.
Shinto torii at Fushimi Inari-taisha, Kyoto.
Japan's population is estimated at around 127,463,611. For the most part,
Japanese society is linguistically and culturally homogeneous with only small
populations of foreign workers, Zainichi Koreans, Japanese Brazilians, and
others. Japan also has indigenous minority groups such as the Ainu and Ryūkyūans,
and social minority groups such as the burakumin.
Japan has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, at 81.25 years
of age as of 2006. However, the Japanese population is rapidly aging, the effect
of a post-war baby boom followed by a decrease in births in the latter part of
the twentieth century. In 2004, about 19.5% of the population was over the age
of 65.
The changes in the demographic structure have created a number of social issues,
particularly a potential decline in the workforce population and increases in
the cost of social security benefits such as the public pension plan. It is also
noted that many Japanese youth are increasingly preferring not to marry or have
families as adults. Japan's population is expected to drop to 100 million by
2050 and to 64 million by 2100. Demographers and government planners are
currently in a heated debate over how to cope with this problem. Immigration and
birth incentives are sometimes suggested as a solution to provide younger
workers to support the nation's aging population. Immigration, however, is not
popular.
Around 84% of Japanese people profess to believe both Shinto (the indigenous
religion of Japan) and Buddhism. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism from China
have significantly influenced Japanese beliefs and mythology. Religion in Japan
tends to be syncretic in nature, and this results in a variety of practices,
such as parents and children celebrating Shinto rituals, students praying before
exams, couples holding a wedding at a Christian church and funerals being held
at Buddhist temples. A minority (0.7%) profess to Christianity. In addition,
since the mid-19th century, numerous religious sects (Shinshūkyō) have emerged
in Japan.
About 99% of the population speaks Japanese as their first language. The Ainu
language is moribund, with only a few elderly native speakers remaining in
Hokkaidō. Most public and private schools require students to take courses in
both Japanese and English.
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