The population of Japan is expected to plunge to 88.08 million in 2065, marking a roughly 30 percent fall from the 2015 level, a government-affiliated research institute said Monday.
The announcement by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research confirms that depopulation, which started in 2008 after Japan's population peaked at 128.08 million, is here to stay. It urged the country to prepare for consequences in wide-ranging areas, including the pension and health care systems.
The estimated population decline, which includes non-Japanese residents, is smaller than a similar study released in 2012, in which the population was predicted to plummet to 86.74 million by 2060. The difference stems from recent subtle increases in the average number of childbirths among women in their 30s and 40s, the institute said.
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