Sengupta, Class work in population dynamics_2015 Case Study For a named country you have studied, describe the distribution of its population and draw a labeled sketch map to show this distribution. Name of country ………………………………………… Refer to the given study material Population distribution in Japan Self-­‐Research: Refer to the following sources: http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/japan-­‐population/ http://www.indexmundi.com/japan/age_structure.html Japan, the island nation in East Asia, is consists of the archipelago of 6,852 islands. Although the four largest islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku account for 97% of its population. Japan is the tenth largest country in the world with an estimated 127 million people in 2014. Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population density of more than 300 people per sq km. However, the population is not evenly spread out across the land. Some parts of Japan are densely population (specially the coastal cities) while other parts (particularly the rural mountainous areas) have very few people living there and is sparsely populated. Uneven distribution of population in Japan Low density rural areas High density rural areas Over two-­‐thirds of Japan is There are mainly rural mountainous and is fringe of the densely marked by sparse populated urban areas on population. These areas the flat valleys and gently include the central part of sloping lower slopes of Honsu Island and the Honshu and Kyushu southern part of the Islands. Shikoku Island. Very few people live here because: Many people living in • Dearth of flat land these villages are farmers while others are daily to grow food commuters to the large • Thin, infertile soil cities where they work. with acidic top These villages are mostly layer. very well connected and • Extreme climatic provide high quality of life. conditions and typically long cold winters with heavy These are also the locations of the out of the snow. town shopping mall, • Remote and isolated areas with sports facilities that requires vast land and relatively poor market gardening. transport and High density urban areas Towns and cities stretch along the coast, particularly on the Honshu Island. Almost half of the Japan’s population lives in and around the urban conurbation of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. These areas are densely populated because: • These are mostly coastal urban areas with flat land and relatively mild winter. • Availability of jobs and other provisions of specialized services like universities, ultra modern hospitals and other health facilities. •
communication services. Not many jobs available there except forestry. •
Good transport provisions with opportunities for international trading. Ports and harbours have facilitated the import of raw materials and export of the manufactured goods. Japan’s Demographic Structure: •
•
Ethnic composition: Unlike many other countries around the world today, the population of Japan appears largely homogenous comprising of 98.5% of ethnic Japanese people. There are a very small proportion of foreign workers living in Japan, largely made up of Koreans, Chinese, Peruvians and Brazilians. The largest native ethnic group in Japan is the Yamato people. Demographic problem: Japan the highest proportion of ageing population in the world. Nearly 39 % of the population in Japan is above 55 years old while working population constitutes only 38% of the population. In 50 years, it's estimated by the government that 40% of Japan's population will be over 65. In the last few decades, the country's social security budget has increased 15%. The difference between rising death rates and lower birth rates is also clearly a factor with low fertility rates. Experts attribute Japan's low population growth to the high cost of raising children in the country, the growing number of women who choose to work longer and have a career rather than have children, and Japan's reluctance to accept immigrants. Unfortunately, Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates, and suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30. Factors in suicides in the country include social pressure, depression and unemployment.