InsideJapan News Network

Japan's population is rapidly ageing and will soon be a "super gray" society, according to new research, which suggests that 39.9 per cent of the population will be 65 years or older by 2060.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research's findings also indicate that the total population will shrink by 30 per cent over the next 50 years, from 128 million today to just 87 million.

However, life expectancy is projected to rise from 79.64 to 84.19 years for men and from 86.39 to 90.93 years for women.

The research indicates that Japan's population is ageing faster than any other on the planet.

According to the Guardian, demography expert Noriko Tsuya said on public broadcaster NHK: "Pension programmes, employment and labour policy and the social security system in this country are not designed to reflect such rapidly progressing population decline,"

"The government needs to urgently revise the system and implement new measures based on the estimate."

Written by Mark Smith