Japan is a famous industrialized country in this world. Japan has modern industry and advanced high technology. As we know, Japanese are very smart and polite. Japan seems to be a strong country, but now it is changing. Japan faces a big problem with its population. Their population is shrinking and aging now. According to Evans-Pritchard (2007), “The population peaked at 128m in 2005 and is expected to fall below 100m by the middle of the century…” (para. 2). The population of Japan is decreasing but slowly. Also according to Kashiwagi (2007), “…by 2023, people over 65 will make up 30 percent of the population; by 2055 they will be more than 40 percent” (para. 3). We can see the aging of population in Japan is really happening. This will bring an economic problem, because Japan will lose masses of labor forces and spend more money on taking care of old people. It will bring a heavy financial stress such as cost of pension system and welfare system. This will cause this country’s economy to become weak. Not will only Japan face this problem, but also most developed countries will face it too. So this is a global problem, not only Japan’s problem. Why is Japan’s population aging and decreasing? Because the industrial revolution brought a modern life and it also changed the people’s thinking and behavior. So people who don’t want get married and have babies have become more common in industrial countries. Japan’s government and all Japanese should face these serious problems; they should think about how to increase birth rate. Immigration can bring an amount of people to increase their population and labor forces and solve some cultural problems. Some cultural problems will relate to low birth rate and immigration policy.
After World War II, there was a group called baby-boomers who were born from 1947 through 1949. Now they are all getting old, and this has caused the age structure to change. According to Doi (2007), “Japan has a common retirement age of 60, and this year marks the official onset of the baby boom generation’s arrival at the age. Some 2.2 million Japanese will reach 60 this year” (para. 3). A lot of people getting older makes Japan get older. And advanced medical technology makes people able to live longer. According to Kashiwagi (2007), “Right now the average life span for a Japanese woman is 85.5 years, and, according to a recent WTO study, by 2030 that figure will rise to 88.5” (para. 3). This is why Japan has a lot of old people now.
First, Japan should find the way to increase their birth rate. Birth rate is decreasing now in Japan. This will affect the age structure to negative growth. Most people have stopped producing babies, because they think it costs too much and they don’t have time to take care of babies. This is a common phenomenon in developed or industrial countries. When the country becomes industrialized, everything is evolved, including people’s knowledge and thinking. Most people think bearing a baby requires spending too much money and they don’t want to face it, especially women. They think without baby they can still live very well and comfortably. In “Japan Economic Newswire” the author states “Japan’s total fertility rate fell to its lowest ever level of 1.25 in 2005, a phenomenon attributed mainly to an increase in the number of people marrying later or forgoing marriage altogether and the rising number of working women” (2007, para. 16). Women in developed countries have more chance to get education and jobs. They have more their own ideas than in the past. They have jobs and they can feed themselves. They do not need to depend on men. That’s why they get married late or even not get married. Because of this reason, the chance of producing babies is less. Japan’s government should think of some policy to encourage people to get married and produce more babies, such as baby’s welfare and parent’s welfare. The key point is reducing people’s stress from bearing babies. Newborn babies also mean new labor force in the future. That means they will be helpful to their country’s economy. They will bring more tax income and balance the cost of spending on old people. So government should revise more good policy to people, and people should operate in coordination. That is not just a government problem, the results of population aging and decreasing will affect everyone living in this country. Solving this problem will bring everyone a positive environment for living.
In addition, the immigration is one way that can solve the decreasing of population. According to Coleman (2007), “Immigration in Japan does not have a happy history. The first wave in modern times came a century or more ago from conquered lands in Korea and China, sometimes in chains as slaves…” (para. 34). Because of this history reason, Japan’s government doesn’t like immigration very much. And as we know, Japan has a strict immigration policy. That’s why the registered foreigners in Japan are only 1.57 percent of their population, which is 2 million (Coleman, 2007). That’s not enough. Open immigration can bring more labor force; also it can help birth rate increase. These foreign labor force can bring some benefits of their economy because they can join in Japan’s industrial development. They can bring more tax income to balance the cost of spending on old people. Japan allows people with skill such as engineers and doctors immigrate to their country. But it seems still too strict, because only a few people can reach this qualification. Most foreigners want to immigrate to Japan, but they can’t because of this limit. The limit causes them to be unable to solve the population problem by immigration way. So Japan still needs a revised better policy for immigration. For example, the U.S.A. uses immigration to balance their population; they also have a lot of baby boomers, but they do well at controlling population structure by immigration policy. I do not mean that Japan needs to do the same thing as U.S.A., but Japan needs to find its way. It needs to open more chances to let people move to Japan from other countries and help Japan increase their economy and population. This is hard work and Japan’s government needs to think about it in a serious way.
Finally, Japan needs some cultural change. In Japan’s traditional culture, women should take care of babies and do household chores. But in developed countries, women have jobs and they don’t have time to do this work at the same time. According to Evans-Pritchard (2007), “The ancient regime makes it very hard to have both a career and a family, so women are putting off marriage. They are no longer willing to accept a double shift where they come home from work and have to do all the household chores” (para. 12). If women refuse to get married, that means few babies are produced, then population will decrease. Japan’s men should think more about feminism. Baring a baby or doing household chores is not only women’s responsibility. It should be shared together. If Japan’s men can change this old traditional thinking, women might want to get married. Also some old thinking will influence immigration. According to Coleman (2007), “For Japan’s government to increase those numbers would be groundbreaking in a nation conditioned to see itself as racially homogenous and culturally unique and to equate “foreign” with crime and social disorder” (para. 10). This impression makes Japan’s immigration policy become stricter. I think all Japanese need solve these problems together while changing their old thinking.
Some people who live in Japan think the population decreasing and aging is not a big problem. It will happen in the future and doesn’t hurt them now. That’s really selfish thinking, because population’s problem is relative to every resident. Population will influence economy and economy will influence this country. If this country becomes worse, what will happen? The answer is that every resident will be influenced by the worse economy. People’s life will become worse. Is that what you want to have? I don’t think so; everybody wants to have a good environment to live in. So if the population problem will affect this country, why do we just let it happen? We should stop it. Correcting this problem is everyone’s responsibility. Have a good country, then you also will have a good life.
In conclusion, a country’s population structure is very important. Japan’s population is a good example for us to study, because we live in a developed country. How to solve this problem is really a valuable thing to think about. Facing the population decreasing and aging or negative growth. We need to think about ways to increase people, and encourage people to produce babies. Immigration is another good way to increase population and labor forces. Some old thinking should be rethought, because it is not suitable in this generation. So controlling the population to grow in a good way is an important subject for every country.
Bibliography
Coleman, J. (2007, Jan 21). Cultures collide in changing Japan; Aging population forces the nation to sift challenges of immigration. The House Chronicle. Retrieved July 7, 2007, from LexisNexis.
Doi, E. (2007, Mar 30). Japan watches anxiously as baby boomers march into retirement. McClatchy-Tribune News Srevice. Retrieved July 7, 2007, from LexisNexis.
Evans-Prichard, A. (2007, June 1). Japan leads world in demographic decline: Birth rates have plunged, affecting every aspect of the economy. Daily Telegraph, London. Retrieved July 7, 2007, from LexisNexis.
Japan Economic Newswire. (2007, May 29). No title. Retrieved July 7, 2007, from LexisNexis.
Kashiwagi, A. (2007, Feb 19). Gray Matters: In Japan, where one fifth of the population is now over 65, a preview of a global future. Newsweek. Retrieved July 15, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17227771/site/newsweek/page/0/
EAP2 Section C – WW
Research Paper
01/08/2007
Henry
Friday, August 3, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Impact of Population Aging
According to Akiko Kashiwagi in her article, “Gray Matters: In Japan, where one fifth of the population is now over 65, a preview of a global future,” the problem of Japan’s population is aging, and it will bring a big problem. First, the population of Japan keeps aging; by 2023 there will be about 30 percent of population over 65. By 2055 it will increase to 40 percent. Japan’s average life is also increasing; now for Japanese women it is 85.5, according to WTO, and by 2030 it will be 88.5. Second, the population aging problem is not just happening in Japan, it’s also happened in other countries, such as Italy and Germany. Many developed countries are facing the same problem. Senior population will bring government a financial stress. Third, government and private businesses are providing some welfare to senior people. That’s a good thing because for senior people, they get more benefits, and you don’t worry about your retirement, but we still worry about the structure of population of Japan. Although, this is a good thing, in the future, if the population is still aging and not increasing, it will turn to a bad thing.
People are always immersed in their situation now, but don’t think about the future. Japan’s young generation don’t want have babies, and let Japan’s population keep decreasing and aging. This is not only one’s problem, it’s everyone’s problem. I think Japan must do some powerful things to change this situation, or Japan will be a poor country in the future because of the older population. The main point is how to increase population to change the aging status. Increasing birth rates, opening immigration, and teaching people to know this problem are the ways I think might affect this problem.
First, how to increase the birth rates? According to Evans (2007), “The population peaked at 128 million in 2005 and is expected to fall below 100 million by the middle of the century, when 36% will be 65 or older” (para. 2). The population is now decreasing and aging. The government has the biggest responsibility for this problem. They should think of ways to help people have babies, for example, welfare of newborn babies, or nurse care. Encourage people to produce babies. Some problem comes from women, because they don’t want to have babies. I think Japan’s culture is the biggest fact. In Japan, men’s power has always been bigger than women’s. This idea must change, or women will come to reject having babies. This is a serious problem; every Japanese should think about this point in a serious way and start producing babies now.
Second, the way to increase population is opening Japan up to immigration. If they open immigration, other countries’ people can move to Japan. They come from other cultures, and they might not be influenced by Japan’s culture. So they can produce more babies. They can help Japan increase their population. Japan’s immigration policy is very strict now. They should start to revise the policy immediately. They should open more chance to let people in, and also open more chance to let themselves become stronger.
Third, government should teach people about this problem. I think most people don’t care about the population, and they don’t know the population will bring a big problem. This problem will influence everyone who lives in Japan. So everyone has responsibility to care about the country. Government has the resources and can help people to understand this problem. When more people understand this problem, more people will care about this problem. This is not only government’s problem, it’s the country’s problem; everyone needs to help to solve this problem together.
In conclusion, Japan faces a big population problem undoubtedly. And it is a demonstration. Japan is the first one to show this problem, and other countries will face the same problem in the future. So not only does Japan need to worry about this problem, but also all people who live in the world need to think about it. Japan’s example gives us warning about population. Population problem will have a chain-reaction effect on other things, like the economy. Some bad thing will happen in the future. So we need do this solution now, increase people, adjust the age structure, teach people to face this problem, and try to prevent this big disaster from coming.
References
Evans-Prichard, A. (2007, June 1). Japan leads world in demographic decline: Birth rates have plunged, affecting every aspect of the economy. Daily Telegraph, London. Retrieved July 7, 2007, from LexisNexis.
Kashiwagi, A. (2007, Feb 19). Gray Matters: In Japan, where one fifth of the population is now over 65, a preview of a global future. Newsweek. Retrieved July 15, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17227771/site/newsweek/page/0/
EAP2 Section C – WW
Summary Response #2
16/07/2007
Henry
People are always immersed in their situation now, but don’t think about the future. Japan’s young generation don’t want have babies, and let Japan’s population keep decreasing and aging. This is not only one’s problem, it’s everyone’s problem. I think Japan must do some powerful things to change this situation, or Japan will be a poor country in the future because of the older population. The main point is how to increase population to change the aging status. Increasing birth rates, opening immigration, and teaching people to know this problem are the ways I think might affect this problem.
First, how to increase the birth rates? According to Evans (2007), “The population peaked at 128 million in 2005 and is expected to fall below 100 million by the middle of the century, when 36% will be 65 or older” (para. 2). The population is now decreasing and aging. The government has the biggest responsibility for this problem. They should think of ways to help people have babies, for example, welfare of newborn babies, or nurse care. Encourage people to produce babies. Some problem comes from women, because they don’t want to have babies. I think Japan’s culture is the biggest fact. In Japan, men’s power has always been bigger than women’s. This idea must change, or women will come to reject having babies. This is a serious problem; every Japanese should think about this point in a serious way and start producing babies now.
Second, the way to increase population is opening Japan up to immigration. If they open immigration, other countries’ people can move to Japan. They come from other cultures, and they might not be influenced by Japan’s culture. So they can produce more babies. They can help Japan increase their population. Japan’s immigration policy is very strict now. They should start to revise the policy immediately. They should open more chance to let people in, and also open more chance to let themselves become stronger.
Third, government should teach people about this problem. I think most people don’t care about the population, and they don’t know the population will bring a big problem. This problem will influence everyone who lives in Japan. So everyone has responsibility to care about the country. Government has the resources and can help people to understand this problem. When more people understand this problem, more people will care about this problem. This is not only government’s problem, it’s the country’s problem; everyone needs to help to solve this problem together.
In conclusion, Japan faces a big population problem undoubtedly. And it is a demonstration. Japan is the first one to show this problem, and other countries will face the same problem in the future. So not only does Japan need to worry about this problem, but also all people who live in the world need to think about it. Japan’s example gives us warning about population. Population problem will have a chain-reaction effect on other things, like the economy. Some bad thing will happen in the future. So we need do this solution now, increase people, adjust the age structure, teach people to face this problem, and try to prevent this big disaster from coming.
References
Evans-Prichard, A. (2007, June 1). Japan leads world in demographic decline: Birth rates have plunged, affecting every aspect of the economy. Daily Telegraph, London. Retrieved July 7, 2007, from LexisNexis.
Kashiwagi, A. (2007, Feb 19). Gray Matters: In Japan, where one fifth of the population is now over 65, a preview of a global future. Newsweek. Retrieved July 15, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17227771/site/newsweek/page/0/
EAP2 Section C – WW
Summary Response #2
16/07/2007
Henry
Monday, July 16, 2007
Japan’s Population
In Evans-Pritchard’s article, “Japan leads world in demographic decline: Birth rates have plunged, affecting every aspect of the economy,” he discusses why Japan’s population can influence the World’s demographics and how population change can affect the economy. First, Japan’s population is decreasing and some experts predict that by the middle of century Japan’s population will decrease from today’s 128 million to 100 million. Japan needs more young people to replace the people who are baby-boomers who will retire. Japan is a highly developed country, so it can be a demonstration to other developed countries such as Italy, Germany, or Spain. Next, he points out the gender problem in Japan. In the past, women didn’t have power, so they just followed the traditional roles that were taking care of family and work. But now they have more chance to show their talent, so they don’t want to come home from work and still need to do all household chores. That means they don’t want to get married early, and of course they don’t have babies. Finally, Japan’s government is trying ways to make more chance to let more people immigrate in Japan because they need more people to cover their decreasing population, which means losing the labor power and also means the economy will be impacted.
This is a big problem when people decrease in a country, especially when the birth rates go down. It means fewer babies are born, but older people are increasing. Decreasing young people cause tax income to decrease; older people increasing causes government to need to spend more money to take care them. I think Japan needs to do something right now to solve this problem. The best ways are increasing birth rates, opening feminism, and releasing more chance to let more immigrants move to Japan.
First, Japan needs to use some ways to make people want to have babies. They should give people more benefits to encourage people to have babies. Increasing birth rates is the most important thing that Japan’s government needs to do now. More babies can bring more hope; labor power will increase, and the economy also will be better, because more labor power can bring more tax income for the government. More tax income can cover the cost of taking care of older people, and also prevent this country’s economic power from going down.
Second, the gender problem in Japan is serious. This is because Japan’s culture always told us the men are the masters or power controllers. But the time is changed; women have become more independent and have their own thinking. They don’t depend on men anymore. In traditional thinking, women need to do all household chores, but not men. So the women don’t want to get married, because they don’t want to come home from work and still need to do household chores, or take care of family. I think the genders should be equal. Men can also share household chores or take care of a baby, and after that I think more women will want to get married. That also means more babies.
Finally, Japan’s government should release more chance to let other countries’ people immigrate to Japan. That also can help the decreasing population problem. If more people can immigrate to Japan, it can increase their labor power. More people can help this country earn more money. Japan’s government should seriously reconsider the rule of immigration.
In conclusion, population is really important for a country. It influences this country’s economy. The decreasing of population equals decreasing of labor force, so this country will become weak. I think this is really not a good thing for this country’s people. People want to have a strong country and have a good place to live. So basically we need a good population structure to support this country, and every person will have a strong country to support their life.
References
Evans-Prichard, A. (2007, June 1). Japan leads world in demographic decline: Birth rates have plunged, affecting every aspect of the economy. Daily Telegraph, London. Populations. Retrieved July 7,2007, from LexisNexis.
EAP2 Section C – WW
Summary Response #1
12/07/2007
Henry
This is a big problem when people decrease in a country, especially when the birth rates go down. It means fewer babies are born, but older people are increasing. Decreasing young people cause tax income to decrease; older people increasing causes government to need to spend more money to take care them. I think Japan needs to do something right now to solve this problem. The best ways are increasing birth rates, opening feminism, and releasing more chance to let more immigrants move to Japan.
First, Japan needs to use some ways to make people want to have babies. They should give people more benefits to encourage people to have babies. Increasing birth rates is the most important thing that Japan’s government needs to do now. More babies can bring more hope; labor power will increase, and the economy also will be better, because more labor power can bring more tax income for the government. More tax income can cover the cost of taking care of older people, and also prevent this country’s economic power from going down.
Second, the gender problem in Japan is serious. This is because Japan’s culture always told us the men are the masters or power controllers. But the time is changed; women have become more independent and have their own thinking. They don’t depend on men anymore. In traditional thinking, women need to do all household chores, but not men. So the women don’t want to get married, because they don’t want to come home from work and still need to do household chores, or take care of family. I think the genders should be equal. Men can also share household chores or take care of a baby, and after that I think more women will want to get married. That also means more babies.
Finally, Japan’s government should release more chance to let other countries’ people immigrate to Japan. That also can help the decreasing population problem. If more people can immigrate to Japan, it can increase their labor power. More people can help this country earn more money. Japan’s government should seriously reconsider the rule of immigration.
In conclusion, population is really important for a country. It influences this country’s economy. The decreasing of population equals decreasing of labor force, so this country will become weak. I think this is really not a good thing for this country’s people. People want to have a strong country and have a good place to live. So basically we need a good population structure to support this country, and every person will have a strong country to support their life.
References
Evans-Prichard, A. (2007, June 1). Japan leads world in demographic decline: Birth rates have plunged, affecting every aspect of the economy. Daily Telegraph, London. Populations. Retrieved July 7,2007, from LexisNexis.
EAP2 Section C – WW
Summary Response #1
12/07/2007
Henry
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Living In The Country
Childhood is important for children’s personality. That is because when children become an adult, the personality will follow him or her. A person can influence his or her country. We like good and honest people, but not criminals. Good people can make this country strong and developed. Bad people can make this country weak and bad. So when people are in childhood it is important to choose their living place, because it can influence people when they are growing up. Living in the country has more benefits such as natural environment, simple people, and simple family.
First, we can think about the natural environment. The natural environment includes forest, trees, animals, and fresh air. This condition can help you live well and keep your health. It keeps health, because fresh air can make your thinking clear; a nature view can make your mind feel relaxed. When you are living with other animals, you can learn other knowledge about life. You need to respect other life in this world, so you can live with them peacefully. This kind of learning can help you build a good personality; for example, it will make you kind and friendly. Also their mind always stays in a relaxed situation and you won’t be violent.
Moreover, there are simple people, because you live in this kind of environment. This living environment influences everyone. So most people are also kind and friendly. Everyone will help each other, such as your neighbor. Usually the country doesn’t have many people; that means everybody will know each other. People are simple and they just work for a living. They do simple work such as growing corn. When you grow up in this condition, you’ll learn the original way to survive. It can make you strong and more independent. Your friendly neighbors are also your best friends; they can teach you something that you can’t learn in school. I believe people can influence people; they influence each other. Good people will influence a person to be good. That’s why the people who live around you are so important.
Third, your family can influence you when you grow up. The family living in country is usually simple, because people living in the country are always kind and friendly. Your parents or grandparents will give you a positive demonstration. They are all good people, and they want you be a good person. Your family members, just like other people who live in the country, are good and honest. That’s why you can learn many good things from them. For example, your parents grow some corn, and they will teach you how to grow it. Sometimes you need to help them, and then you can understand how hard their work is. Your mind will be more strong and independent.
Many people say they like to live in a city; it has more fun and interesting things; however, this means there are more chances to let you become a unfriendly person. The city has more interesting things, which also means more lures. Some lures can make people do some bad things such as violence. Sometimes they use any way to do something and don’t care about others. People who live in the city are also selfish, because they always want to make more money, and they spend their time working. They don’t have time to care about others. A lot of people who live in a city don’t even know their neighbor. Everyone just does his or her own business. If you grow up in this condition, maybe you will become more greedy, and selfish, or even violent. I really don’t think growing up in a city is a good idea.
It is very easy to compare living in the country or city. The country is closer to original human life. City life has evolved too far from a nature condition. Childhood is very important for a person. If they can develop their mind and personality in a positive way, it is good for this society. Friendly people work and live together, help each other, and solve problems. We don’t want a selfish society. So it is really important to choose a good environment to let children grow up in. Country life includes a lot of benefits. It really is the best choice you can see.
EAP2-C WW
Argument Essay #1
July 6, 2007
Henry
First, we can think about the natural environment. The natural environment includes forest, trees, animals, and fresh air. This condition can help you live well and keep your health. It keeps health, because fresh air can make your thinking clear; a nature view can make your mind feel relaxed. When you are living with other animals, you can learn other knowledge about life. You need to respect other life in this world, so you can live with them peacefully. This kind of learning can help you build a good personality; for example, it will make you kind and friendly. Also their mind always stays in a relaxed situation and you won’t be violent.
Moreover, there are simple people, because you live in this kind of environment. This living environment influences everyone. So most people are also kind and friendly. Everyone will help each other, such as your neighbor. Usually the country doesn’t have many people; that means everybody will know each other. People are simple and they just work for a living. They do simple work such as growing corn. When you grow up in this condition, you’ll learn the original way to survive. It can make you strong and more independent. Your friendly neighbors are also your best friends; they can teach you something that you can’t learn in school. I believe people can influence people; they influence each other. Good people will influence a person to be good. That’s why the people who live around you are so important.
Third, your family can influence you when you grow up. The family living in country is usually simple, because people living in the country are always kind and friendly. Your parents or grandparents will give you a positive demonstration. They are all good people, and they want you be a good person. Your family members, just like other people who live in the country, are good and honest. That’s why you can learn many good things from them. For example, your parents grow some corn, and they will teach you how to grow it. Sometimes you need to help them, and then you can understand how hard their work is. Your mind will be more strong and independent.
Many people say they like to live in a city; it has more fun and interesting things; however, this means there are more chances to let you become a unfriendly person. The city has more interesting things, which also means more lures. Some lures can make people do some bad things such as violence. Sometimes they use any way to do something and don’t care about others. People who live in the city are also selfish, because they always want to make more money, and they spend their time working. They don’t have time to care about others. A lot of people who live in a city don’t even know their neighbor. Everyone just does his or her own business. If you grow up in this condition, maybe you will become more greedy, and selfish, or even violent. I really don’t think growing up in a city is a good idea.
It is very easy to compare living in the country or city. The country is closer to original human life. City life has evolved too far from a nature condition. Childhood is very important for a person. If they can develop their mind and personality in a positive way, it is good for this society. Friendly people work and live together, help each other, and solve problems. We don’t want a selfish society. So it is really important to choose a good environment to let children grow up in. Country life includes a lot of benefits. It really is the best choice you can see.
EAP2-C WW
Argument Essay #1
July 6, 2007
Henry
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
My first Web-Blog is opening!
Finally........I create my first Web-Blog.
I still remember long time ago....I have one my own homepage.
Blog is from personal homepage. After a lot of evolution. Blog was born.
Now Blog is more popular and it's easy to use and create.
I am really a lazy guy. I always wnat to create my onw blog, but I always have excuse.
Anyway!
I will share my funny or interesting stuff for you.
It's is really hard to write something in English. Oh my god!
But I'll still try do my best.
Enjoy it!
I still remember long time ago....I have one my own homepage.
Blog is from personal homepage. After a lot of evolution. Blog was born.
Now Blog is more popular and it's easy to use and create.
I am really a lazy guy. I always wnat to create my onw blog, but I always have excuse.
Anyway!
I will share my funny or interesting stuff for you.
It's is really hard to write something in English. Oh my god!
But I'll still try do my best.
Enjoy it!
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