Latest News
Friday, 28th October 2011
In General Japan News,
Foreigners spark rise in Japanese population
Japan is evidently a hotspot for foreigners as it was their contribution alone that sparked a rise in the nation's population.
That is according to new figures from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, which actually uncovered the first dip in the Japanese population since 1970 when the census began distinguishing between those who were Japanese and those who were not.
Among the Japanese, there was a 0.3 per decline since 2005, however, non-Japanese residents accounted for the 0.2 rise in the overall population which stood at 128,057,352 as of October 1st 2010.
The total number of Japanese people in country came to 125,358,854, while total foreigners racked up a further 1,648,037, up 5.9 per cent in five years.
For the first time ever, the Chinese ousted South and North Koreans as the leading foreign population in Japan.
Last year, there were 460,459 Chinese, compared to 423,273 Koreans.
Of the 47 prefectures across the nation, just nine saw increases in the number of inhabitants, contributing to the aging population of which 23 per cent is made up of people aged 65 and over.
Speaking of older generations, a 56-year old man in Japan has vowed to help combat the after-effects of the March 11th disaster.
Upon reaching mandatory retirement in the Maritime Self-Defence Force, Isao Miki began his new vocation as an official heading disaster management in his hometown Minami-Alps, in the Yamashi prefecture, the Yomiuri Daily reported.
The brave official's motto is "do your best at your post" and he employs it as he embarks on the restoration of his hometown.
He believes acting on disaster as quickly and as sensibly as possible is detrimental to saving lives and minimising the damage a natural disaster can cause.
He told the news provider: "If we can respond to a crisis immediately, we'll be able to save some lives."
Posted by Susan Ballion
UK
Australia
Inside Japan UK office
Inside Japan US office
Inside Japan Australia office
Inside Japan - Japan office
