Did you know that Japan has one of the longest life expectancies in the world? Or, that it has one of the lowest fertility rates? Japan’s elderly population is growing quickly and its residents are having fewer and fewer children. As a result Japan is experiencing a shrinking workforce and a shrinking population. Take our Japan population quiz to learn more!
1. In 2020 Japan’s population was 126 million. What is Japan’s population projected to be in 2050?
A. 78 million
B. 100 million
C. 150 million
D. 200 million
2. What percent of Japan’s population resides in urban areas?
A. 64%
B. 78%
C. 81%
D. 92%
3. Japan is among many countries experiencing a ‘graying population.’ What percent of Japan’s population is over the age of 65?
A. 19%
B. 26%
C. 28%
D. 51%
4. The Japanese census showed a drastic decline in the country’s population in 2021 from the previous year. By how much did Japan’s population shrink?
A. 238,000
B. 457,000
C. 520,000
D. 644,000
5. Japan has one of the lowest fertility rates (average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime) in the world. What is the fertility rate in Japan?
A. 1.2
B. 1.3
C. 1.4
D. 1.5
6. What is the life expectancy for Japanese females?
A. 78
B. 83
C. 88
D. 90
7. What percent of Japan’s female population is part of the labor force?
A. 31%
B. 39%
C. 44%
D. 48%
8. Which major Japanese city is home to the most urban residents?
A. Fukuoka
B. Osaka
C. Nagoya
D. Tokyo
9. Most if Japan’s energy supply is imported, with ____% of Japan’s energy coming from _____.
A. 15%; natural gas
B. 19%; solar
C. 40%; oil
D. 10%; nuclear
10. Japan has passed dozens of environmental protection laws to reduce pollution.
A. True
B. False
Answers:
1. B – Japan’s population is projected to decrease to just over 100 million by 2050.
2. D – 92% of Japan’s population lives in urban areas.
3. C – 28% of Japan’s population is aged 65 years or older.
4. D – Japan’s population as of Oct. 1, 2021 was 125,502,000 – a decline of 644,000 from the previous year.
5. B – The total fertility rate in Japan is 1.3.
6. C – The life expectancy for females in Japan is 88 years. This is higher than the life expectancy for Japanese males, who live 82 years on average.
7. C – 44% of Japan’s female population is part of the labor force.
8. D – Tokyo is a sprawling mega city and home to over 37 million people living in the Greater Tokyo-Kanto region, which includes areas surrounding the city.
9. C – 40% of Japan’s energy comes from oil, with 80% of the supply imported from the Middle East.
10. A – True. As a result of rapid industrialization during the 1960’s Japan became known for pollution-related illnesses such as Yokkaichi asthma, Minamata disease (mercury poisoning) and, itai-itai (cadmium poisoning). Thanks to its citizen advocacy, Japan began to pass environmental protection laws (passing 14 at once) in what became known as the Pollution Diet of 1970. Air pollution fell dramatically in the years that followed.
Updated May 2022
References
Question 1:
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.). Population, total – Japan. World Bank. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=JP
Japan 2050. PopulationPyramid.net. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.populationpyramid.net/japan/2050/
Question 2:
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.). Urban population (% of total population) – Japan. World Bank. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=JP
Question 3:
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.). Population ages 65 and above (% of total population) – Japan. World Bank. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.65UP.TO.ZS?locations=JP
Question 4:
Kyodo, J. (2022, April 15). Japan’s population plummeted by 640,000 in 2021 for biggest drop on record. The Japan Times. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/15/national/population-drop-japan-record/
Question 5:
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.). Fertility rate, total (births per woman) – Japan. World Bank. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?locations=JP
Question 6:
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.). Life expectancy at birth, female (years) – Japan. World Bank. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN?locations=JP
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.). Life expectancy at birth, male (years) – Japan. World Bank. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN?locations=JP
Question 7:
United Nations Population Division. (n.d.). Labor force, female (% of total labor force) – Japan. World Bank. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS?locations=JP
Question 8:
Choudhury, A. R. (2019, August 21). 10 biggest cities in Japan. WorldAtlas. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-biggest-cities-in-japan.html
Question 9:
Japan’s energy supply situation and basic policy. The Federation of Electric Power Companies. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.fepc.or.jp/english/energy_electricity/supply_situation/
Question 10:
Harney, A. (2013, February 15). Japan’s Pollution Diet. New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.lee.k12.nc.us/cms/lib03/NC01001912/Centricity/Domain/1464/Pollution%20in%20Japan.pdf