The new population bomb

 

The new population bomb

TOKYO -- For centuries the world's population has risen steadily, causing a host of calamities from wars to famine and climate change. But today's scientists and policymakers are waking up to a new challenge: a global population in decline.
 
East Asia is one region that already faces the world's most acute baby bust, and that may spread quickly to the U.S. and Europe.
 
When former Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa spoke at the House of Lords in the British Parliament this year, he stunned the audience when he said, "The U.S. and Europe are more or less following the same path as the Japanese one."
 
In the 1960s, Japan experienced high economic growth rates of over 10%. However, when the working age population began to decline in the late 1990s, the growth rate slowed to the mid-1% range and has remained low. The same dynamics may be at work in Europe as early as next year.