The People of Japan

According to the 1996 national population census, Japan's total population was 125.7 million.  This made Japan the seventh most populous nation in the world.  The population has more than doubled since the first national census in 1920, when it was about 56 million.

Population growth has slowed in recent years.  The annual growth rate averaged 0.3% in the 1990-95 period, considerably lower than the world average of 1.6%.  As of 1994 Japan' population density was 335.4 persons per square kilometer, one of the highest in the world.  

 By comparison, the population density was 828 persons per square kilometer in Bangladesh, 440 in South Korea, 328 in Belgium, 237 in Britain, 124 in China and 27 in the United States (1992 figures).  

LIFE EXPECTANCY

The average life expectancy at birth for the Japanese was 76.57 years for males and 82.98 years for females as of 1994, representing increases of about 30 years each over the past six decades. (The figures stood at 47 years for men and 50 years for women in 1935.)  

This sharp increase is attributed to the fact that infant mortality rates and deaths from epidemics, tuberculosis, and other diseases have declined significantly.  The average death rate, which stood at 10.9 per 1,000 in 1950, was 7.1 per 1,000 in 1994.  In 1950 there were 28.1 births per 1,000 people.  

This rate slowly declined to a low of 9.9 in 1991.  Due partly to subsequent policies aimed at reversing the trend, the rate crept back to 10 per 1,000 in 1994.  In addition, the total fertility rate (the number of children that a woman can expect to give birth to in her lifetime) has declined gradually from 3.65 in 1950 to 1.5 in 1994.

The aging of society continues to advance.  In 1950 children of up to 14 years accounted for 35% of the total population, adults (15-64 years) for 60% and the elderly (65 years and older) for 5.0%.  In 1994 children accounted for 16.3% of the total population, adults for 69.6% and the elderly for 14.1%.

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LEISURE

There are certain times in Japan when holidays appear one after another, such as Golden Week, from the end of April to the beginning of May.  Other full-scale holidays are at the end of the year (New Year's) and the middle of August (Bon festival).

Vacations are concentrated during these three periods.  As a result, 3 times a year, the throng of people on transportation facilities and roads returning home to visit parents and coming back again, unfailingly becomes an issue.  Travel abroad during this period reaches a peak at international airports such as New Tokyo International Airport (Narita), which is invariably congested with people.

There are businesses adopting flexible holidays to avoid the crowd.  Taking annual vacations has become an accepted company policy, even taking days off has now become easier.  An amendment of the labor Standard Law, carried out in April 1997, implemented a 40-hour week.  Consequently, the era of a 5-day work week has finally gained ground.

Based on the activities and polled opinions of those 15 years and older, the shorter the holiday, the more one indulges in pastimes like gambling.  When the holiday is 2 to 3 days long, gambling decreases and activities such as driving, enjoying the outdoors and outdoor sports increase.  When the holiday stretches to 3 or more days, domestic and international travel show a sharp increase, as well as activities in the areas of self enrichment including family communication, reading, and studying.

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