Japan's population is charting a downward trajectory.
While there is consensus that Japan's population will start decreasing sometime between now and 2007, opinions differ on precisely when it will start and how far the population will drop.
The fall has been a long time coming. The nation's fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman has during her life -- hit subreplacement levels around 30 years ago and registered 1.35 last year.
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