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Thursday, 19th April 2012
In General Japan News,
Population getting older in Japan
The population in Japan dropped by over 250,000 in the 12 months to October last year, official figures have revealed.
A decline of this level - 0.2 per cent of the total population - has not been witnessed since 1950 when modern records began.
According to data from the internal affairs and communications ministry, there are now 127,799,000 people living in the country.
The country's falling birth rate is being blamed for the decrease, with the number of children in the country sliding compared to the number of older citizens.
At 13.1 per cent of the population, the number of children aged 14 or under is at a new low, while at 23.3 per cent the proportion of the country aged 65 or above is now at its highest ever level.
"The figures indicate the pace of the nation's greying is accelerating," an internal affairs spokesperson told Asia One.
Meanwhile, scientists in Japan have developed a new technique that could be a cure for baldness. Researchers successfully implanted bioengineered hair follicles into a bald mouse that then grew as normal hair.
Written by Susan Ballion
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Japanese population 'increases' (1st August 2008)
A quarter of Japan?s population 65 or over (30th June 2016)
Japan's population ageing (31st January 2012)
Tokyo's population to peak in 2020, study group says (4th September 2012)
Population of Japan declines for third consecutive year (9th August 2012)