The Japanese Population Problem The Coming Crisis

This volume analyzes what the pressure of population growth in Japan in the early twentieth century consisted of and attempts to indicate what form it would take in the future. It examines not only the relationship between the number of inhabitants and the economic resources of the country but also discusses the structure and movement of the Japanese population, the agricultural potential of Japan, the prospects of importing food in return for exporting manufactures and the possibilities of finding relief through acquiring land further afield. The relation of all this to international affairs is stressed throughout.

This cutting edge collection examines Japan’s population issue, exploring how declining demographic trends are affecting Japan’s social structure, specifically in the context of Greater Tokyo, life infrastructure, public finance and the economy. Considering the failures of past Japanese policies from the perspective of population, national land, and politics, it argues that the inability of past administrations to develop a long-term and comprehensive policy has exacerbated the population crisis. This text identifies key negative chain reactions that have stemmed from this policy failure, notably the effect of population decline on future economic growth and public finances and the impact of shrinking municipalities on social and community infrastructure to support quality of life. It also highlights how population decline can precipitate inter-generational conflict, and impact on the strength of the state and more widely on Japan’s international status. Japan is on the forefront of the population problem, which is expected to affect many of the world’s advanced industrial economies in the 21st century. Based on the study of policy failures, this book makes recommendations for effective population policy – covering both ‘mitigation’ measures to encourage a recovery in the depopulation process as well as ‘adaptation’ measures to maintain and improve living standards – and provides key insights into dealing with the debilitating effects of population decline.

This volume analyzes what the pressure of population growth in Japan in the early twentieth century consisted of and attempts to indicate what form it would take in the future. It examines not only the relationship between the number of inhabitants and the economic resources of the country but also discusses the structure and movement of the Japanese population, the agricultural potential of Japan, the prospects of importing food in return for exporting manufactures and the possibilities of finding relief through acquiring land further afield. The relation of all this to international affairs is stressed throughout.

This volume traces the modern critical and performance history of this play, one of Shakespeare's most-loved and most-performed comedies. The essay focus on such modern concerns as feminism, deconstruction, textual theory, and queer theory.