The Aging Population in the Suburbs of Metropolitan Tokyo

Abstract

This paper examines the mechanism of the aging of the population in the suburbs of Metropolitan Tokyo. Most suburban residents at this time are not greying, but a report based on a recent population projection which used the cohort component method indicates that these districts have a high probability of a rising population ratio of residents aged 65 and over.Most ages of residents concentrate on particular cohorts, especially on residents who were born in the 1935-1955 period. Thus, an accelerated rise in this ratio is unavoidable as the population ages.However, second-generation residents of these districts are showing particular patt erns of migration.For example : (1) Second-generation residents move out of their residential districts, and (2) new residents of the same second-generation age move into these districts.In the suburbs of Metropolitan Tokyo, the residents mainly consist of cohorts born in the 1935-1955 period plus their children, and most of the residential districts belong to migration patt ern (1). In the future, most of these districts will be occupied by fi rst generation residents, so the suburbs are expected to grey with their aging. Therefore, although aging progresses diff erently from district to district, a long-term perspective indicates that these processes seem more likely to be dominant in greying residential districts.Already in some districts, those who leave are fi rst-generation residents ; thus it is diffi cult to maintain the infrastructure these areas require. As a result, empty houses and vacant parking spaces increase due to depopulation. The fear therefore arises that a population decrease will accelerate the frequency of moves to other districts by the residents of these areas.

Identifying the Impacts of Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors on Population Aging in the Yangtze River Delta Using the Geographical Detector Technique

“…Spatial distribution of aging also varies with scale. Several geographers have studied the spatial differentiations of aging at the international, intercontinental, national, and regional scales [25][26][27][28][29]. For example, Flynn (1980) focused on the regional differences of the distribution of the elderly population and found that the elderly population in the United States was concentrated in the central urban area and remote rural settlements, thereby forming a typical "retirement" center for polarization [30].…”

Mixed Development in Sustainability of Suburban Neighborhoods: The Case of Narita New Town

“…Nakazawa et al (2008) noted slight differences in terms of socioeconomic status of residents among suburban neighborhoods which are actualized during the period of generational transition. Suburban neighborhoods become less popular as residential areas, and are facing serious social problems such as aging of residents (Naganuma et al 2006). Kaneshiro (1983) confirms the existence of an aging phenomenon in suburban neighborhoods developed in the early 1960s.…”

Divided Tokyo: Housing Policy, the Ideology of Homeownership, and the Growing Contrast Between the City Center and the Suburbs

“…Furthermore, the suburbs have not been attracting new investment (Hirayama 2005), rendering them less popular as residential areas. Suburban areas began to face challenges caused by the aging of their residents and an increase in vacant housing (Kubo and Yui 2019;Naganuma et al 2006;Yui et al 2016Yui et al , 2017. Both the aging of the remaining residents and the out-migration of the younger generations increased population aging in many neighborhoods (Kubo et al 2010;Nordvik and Gulbrandsen 2009;Yui 1999).…”