127: Japan is losing people, but is it all bad? w/ Alex Martin

Since 2008, Japan’s population has been falling, and each year the amount it falls by grows larger and larger. In 2008, the country lost around 20,000 people. In 2010, 100,000, and by 2019, the figure stood at over half a million. The most recent data, released earlier this month, shows that in 2021, Japan lost more than 640,000 people. This week on Deep Dive Japan Times staff writer Alex Martin joins to discuss Japan’s declining population, and why one town in Saitama thinks it’s not all bad news.
Read more:

• For some shrinking towns in Japan, depopulation isn't all bad news
• Japan's population plummeted by 640,000 in 2021 for biggest drop on record
• Japan, in need of more babies, is helping pay for costly IVF
• What is Golden Week and why does it matter?
• Archival clip from Tokyo Today 1948

On this episode:
Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter
Oscar Boyd: Twitter | Articles | Instagram
Transcript:
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Photo: Nestled along its namesake river and set against lush forests and mountains, the town of Tokigawa, is fighting against its declining population. | COURTESY OF TOKIGAWA TOWN