Japan's Population Declines for First Time
The population of Japan declined in 2005 for the first time in the postwar period. The verification of a stagnant population comes as no surprise, but a couple of related statistics are worth mentioning. First, the drop in Japan's population is in notable contrast to that of the U.S., which recently surpassed 300 million. Second, the number of unmarried young people in Japan, especially men, is remarkable. In the 25- to 29-year-old age group, some 72% of men and 59% of women were single. In the 30- to 34-year-old cohort, 47% of men and 32% of women were unmarried. These numbers represent significant increases of several percentage points from previous levels.

While the stats naturally have important consequences for marketers, from a broader vantage point they are also worrisome. A society with so many of its men unattached has a natural tendency toward social anomie. One wonders just how loyal many Japanese salarymen will remain to their companies without the bounds of responsibility marriage brings. By the same token, there's at least some question of how unique Japan is among Western nations. Even the relatively high U.S. marriage rate masks wide disparities among different relgious groups with different educational levels in different parts of the country.