In the article, “Cloud, or silver linings?” in The Economist magazine, the author clearly mentions the rapidly decreasing population of Japan, which is a prime cause of concern to the social structure of society. In this era of rising inflation and debilitating economies, most nations worry about how to sustain the citizens of their country. Contrarily, Japan is wondering how to cope with a shrinking populace, a fact with which I was indeed amazed. However, I find that the reasons supporting the concern seem substantial, as Japan or any other country for that matter, would need younger people to replace older and retiring ones, for the social structure of the country to function effectively and efficiently.
In the modern times, when most research and study is based on the problems due to the increasing populations, it is interesting to see the problems which could arise due to reducing populations. Indeed, the article is an eye opener and stresses on the fact that the population of Japan has to be well balanced in order for the social structure of the country to function efficiently. The fact that the reducing population of Japan would be unable to sustain the retiring population of Japan is an interesting and amazing fact.
Although I do agree with the author that the population of a country must be well balanced and must not reduce, I do not agree that retirements will need equal number of people to replace the outgoing ones. In this age and era of technology, the world is a smaller place due to the onset and advancement of the internet and other communication devices. As such I feel that fewer people would be required to fill job positions as work has become faster and lesser than it used to be traditionally.
Nevertheless, there are certain sections of society for which population is necessary and no amount of technology can replace it. The military and the army is one such section. For Japan to have a huge army matching that of China, America or India, it is necessary that the population is well balanced. Besides, the world is highly concerned about the extinction of animal species like the tiger and other animals. If populations begin to reduce so swiftly, soon there will be a time when societies and cultures will also begin to disappear from the face of this earth. Each and every culture and nation is distinct and must be preserved. As it is, globalization has resulted in cross-cultural marriages, due to which preservation of cultures and communities is becoming more and more difficult. Such reduction in population would only make the situation worse.
Thus, the Japanese government must take the issue of the reducing population very seriously and take steps to check the problem before it gets too late to handle it. The article has brought me some relief that growing populations can also be a benefit to society in many ways than we had earlier imagined. If there is society and culture, we can always devise some means to look after their problems and issues, but if there is no society at all, no youth to support the country and take over its responsibility, the state of the country would be really sad. If the article had cited the examples of some other societies which are facing problems due to reducing populations, the article would have been more effective than it is currently. Nonetheless, the article has made me aware of a totally new issue and has enabled me to develop my views and a totally different perspective on the subject of population demographics.