An Acquaintance with An Aging Society

Yamada, Kazumasa

doi:10.3390/socsci8040110

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 88 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…1 Designated as the municipalities facing a risk of disappearance as a part of the "decreased population". 2 Number of people ≥65 years old/total population.…”

Section: Yo Kaigomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the United Nations, in the 1990s, Japan became the world's first superaging society [1], plagued by low birth rates and high life expectancies [2]. Consequently, Japan's population began to decline in 2008 [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, studying the country's current situation may help to improve our understanding of the world's aging society. The number of handrails installed in Japan increased more than threefold between 1993 and 2016 [2]. Accordingly, in response to Japan's aging population, renovation work has been carried out for each house through measures such as public subsidies that promote barrier-free living.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age-Friendly Approach Is Necessary to Prevent Depopulation: Resident Architectural Designers and Constructors’ Evaluation of the Age-Friendliness of Japanese Municipalities

Yamada,

Murotani,

Mano

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Japan has the world’s largest old population ratio; thus, aging is an urgent societal issue. As global trends seem to be following Japan’s social changes, there is an emphasis on municipalities becoming more age-friendly. Hence, we examine the age-friendliness of 135 Japanese municipalities, selecting 240 resident architectural designers and constructors to assess their municipalities using the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ). The findings indicate that Japan lacks “outdoor spaces and buildings”. Additionally, the evaluation of “housing”, “community support and health services”, and “transportation” in populated municipalities in the past five years was found to be significantly higher than that in depopulated ones. Age-friendliness is significantly affected by the AFCCQ total score (hereafter, Score) based on “housing”, “social participation”, “community support and health services”, “transportation”, and “financial situation” evaluations. High specificity (0.939) was found when the score was treated as a marker of depopulation; an age-friendly approach is a necessary condition for preventing depopulation. Furthermore, a lack of “communication and information” was observed in municipalities with a higher rate of single-person households aged 65 years and older. Therefore, resident architectural designers’ and constructors’ assessments, combined with the AFCCQ, will be a powerful tool for evaluating the age-friendliness of municipalities.

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“…1 Designated as the municipalities facing a risk of disappearance as a part of the "decreased population". 2 Number of people ≥65 years old/total population.…”

Section: Yo Kaigomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age-Friendly Approach Is Necessary to Prevent Depopulation: Resident Architectural Designers and Constructors’ Evaluation of the Age-Friendliness of Japanese Municipalities

Yamada,

Murotani,

Mano

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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“…Several writers have suggested that a point exists when the ageing of a population ceases to reflect the material improvement of a societyincreased productivity, rising household incomes and lowering mortality ratesand instead becomes a brake on further growth (Aksoy et al, 2019;Van Der Gaag and De Beer, 2015). These perspectives suggest a future of unremitting stagnation as societies face the prospect of "super-ageing", with declining fertility, rising later life expectancy and a shrinking working age population supporting a growing retired population Secular stagnation and societal ageing 1 (Yamada, 2019). The aim of this paper is to review the evidence for such secular stagnation, to draw out the various implications of the hypothesis upon an increasingly ageing world and suggest an alternative framing of secular stagnation, less as "problem" than a solution to otherwise unsustainable growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More age, less growth? Secular stagnation and societal ageing

Gilleard¹

2022

IJSSP

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PurposeThe aim of the study is to demonstrate evidence that societal ageing and poor economic growth are linked in the advanced economies. It challenges the claim however that secular stagnation represents a serious problem for future prosperity.Design/methodology/approachThis paper critically reviews recent formulations of the secular stagnation hypothesis concerning stalled economic growth in the advanced economies and the links between demographic ageing and economic slowdown. It outlines both trends (of ageing and stalled growth) and reviews some of the key empirical studies that have sought to determine the role played by demographic change in accounting for the relative lack of growth in the advanced economies.FindingsThe advanced economies are ageing and their economic growth is slowing, although a causal link between these two phenomena remains unproven. However, even if no direct causal link can be drawn between these two processes the focus upon the impact of societal ageing serves as a stimulus to re-think the nature of future growth in our increasingly ageing and unequal societies.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the measurement of demographic trends is relatively straightforward, there are more problems in specifying the exact parameters of macroeconomic growth. This makes empirical studies in the area difficult to interpret. However studies in this area have value in widening thinking about the role of ageing and the nature of growth in the future.Practical implicationsRather than fearing the prospect of an age related slowdown in the rate of growth in the advanced economies, these developments offer opportunities to focus upon redistribution more than growth, while supporting a programme of growth with equity in the world's developing economies.Social implicationsWhile a demographically over-determined model of the secular stagnation hypothesis is dubious, the future ageing of the advanced economies is certainly a challenge. It is also an opportunity for rethinking ideas about ageing, growth and development. Adopting such a more nuanced perspective offers a counter-narrative to the demographic catastrophising that is often evident when discussing 'societal ageing'. It also suggests the value of shifting the perspective of seeking ever increasing growth toward a greater focus upon redistribution, between and within the generations.Originality/valueThere has been very little engagement with the secular stagnation hypothesis outside economics. Behind its macroeconomic formulation, however, lie assumptions about the ageing of society that can easily become examples of unwarranted demographic catastrophising. By bringing this topic to the attention of the social sciences, the paper can serve as a stimulus for rethinking both ageing and growth.

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