Japan struggling with depopulation Japan is stepping up measures to combat rural depopulation by offering financial incentives for families to leave Tokyo JAPAN BIRTH AND DEATH RATE (per 1,000 people) Young people move to cities for greater opportunities Eligible families will receive ¥1m* per child, on top of flat ¥1m, to move to disadvantaged local area Births Deaths 2008: Deaths exceed births UN projection 2021 2040: Two out of three households could be supporting elderly person 30 25 20 15 10 5 1950 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20 30 40 2050 60 70 80 90 2100 LIFE EXPECTANCY (years) 1950: 60.64 2021: 84.79 UN projection 2100: 93.72 100 80 60 1950 2000 2050 2100 POPULATION (millions) 1950: 84.35m UN projection 2021: 124.61m 2100: 73.64m 150 120 90 60 1950 2000 2050 2100 *1 million yen = $7,700/€7,220/£6,400 Sources: Bloomberg, Japan Today, Macrotrends Picture: Aleksandar Pasaric (Pexels) © GRAPHIC NEWS