Imploding Populations in Japan and Germany: A Comparison

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of low birth-rates and population decline on Japan and Germany. Experts from both countries examine a broad range of issues, from demographic change, social ageing, family policies, family formation, work-life balance, domestic and international migration to business perspectives and labour market issues. Focussed on Japan and Germany, two highly developed countries with extremely low fertility, the chapters of this volume also refer to several other countries for comparison. In the absence of war, famine and pandemics, rapid population decline is a new phenomenon. Japan and Germany are struggling with this reality, but many other countries will follow their example.

Florian Coulmas, chair of Japanese Studies, Duisburg-Essen University, and director of the German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo. He has published extensively in Japanese Studies, most recently Population Decline and Ageing in Japan – the social consequences, London (2007), and Die Illusion vom Glück. Japan und der Westen, Zurich (2009). He is co-editor of the Trilingual Glossary of Demographic Terminology (Brill, 2007) and The Demographic Challenge. A Handbook about Japan (Brill, 2008).

Ralph Lützeler studied Geography and Japanese Studies at the University of Bonn (Dr. phil. 1993, habilitation degree 2006). He was senior research fellow at the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Tokyo (1993–98, 2007–10), and at the Department of Japanese Studies, University of Bonn (1998–2007). He is affiliated with the Centre for Interdisciplinary Regional Studies (ZEFIR), Ruhr-University of Bochum. He has published extensively on demography, human geography and urban society of Japan.