Shinji Fukukawa offers many valid comments and criticisms in his Dec. 9 article, "Post-Abenomics" reforms," but of his six suggestions for reform, the first one — that Japan must repopulate — is a red herring.
I think that much of the hair- pulling and gnashing of teeth about the declining population in Japan and the economic implications are wrong. Most of the pundits, economists and specialists are still set in the metrics of old economics textbooks.
Japan should look at the size of its land and its natural resources, and clearly measure the natural resources needed for growing food and sustaining a prosperous civilization. It should then decide how many people can comfortably live on the archipelago.
A simple search will show that Germany, England, Sweden, Italy and France have significantly smaller populations, and except for France, all have less land.
The problem is a short-term one — for one generation. Japan has to take care of its baby boomer population till they die. After that, Japan will enter a glorious period of plentiful space. Its land will be able to feed its people (without food imports).
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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