📘 CodingMarble Learn

Inquiry into Japan's Issues

Many countries face the same questions as Japan: an ageing population, who pays for pensions and care, shrinking local towns, new ways of working and a shift from farming and factories to services. An inquiry asks what is changing, why, who is affected and what could be done, and checks each answer with numbers.

🎬 Step-by-step story

  1. Start with four big questions: ageing, small towns, ways of working and industry change. We will inquire into each: what, why, what next?
  2. Ageing first. Move the year slider. The orange part (age 65 and over) grows and the green working-age part shrinks.
  3. Who pays? Move the year slider. Fewer workers stand behind each elderly person, so each worker carries more.
  4. Small towns. As homes empty out, the tax income bar falls but roads, buses and the clinic still need money.
  5. Industry. Over the years the purple services part grows and farming nearly disappears. Jobs move to new kinds of work.
  6. Free play. Use the buttons to compare all five charts and the year slider. Predict first, then check the numbers.

Tip: drag the 3D scene to turn it. Use two fingers to zoom.

🤔 Common doubts, cleared

Why study these four issues together?

They are connected. Ageing changes the workforce, which changes industry, which changes how much towns and the government can spend.

Is ageing only about old people living longer?

No. It is also about fewer children. Move the year slider: the 0-14 part (blue) also shrinks, so the old share grows twice over.

Why is "workers per elderly person" so important?

Pensions and care are mostly paid from workers' money. When the number of workers behind each elderly person drops from about 6 to about 2 to about 1, each worker carries more.

Why do small towns lose people?

Young people move to cities for jobs and study. The town then has less income, but roads, buses and a clinic still cost money, as the yellow bar and the grey houses show.

Does the move to services mean factories disappeared?

No. The grey factory part shrinks, but it is still large. It is the share of workers that changed, partly because machines do more of the factory work.

Where do work-style changes show up?

Press "Work styles" in free play. The orange part, part-time and contract work, grows from about 20 to about 37 of every 100 employees.

How to do an inquiry

An inquiry is a careful way to study a problem. Follow five steps:

  1. Ask a clear question, such as "How does an ageing population affect pensions?"
  2. Collect facts and numbers from reliable sources (government statistics, research reports).
  3. Explain the cause and effect chain.
  4. Compare options and who gains or loses with each.
  5. Decide and say your view with evidence, and note what you are unsure about.

We use Japan as the case study because its changes came early and strongly. Other countries, including India, are following the same direction at different speeds.

Ageing society and social security

A country has an ageing society when a large and growing share of people are old (usually 65 or more) and few children are born. In Japan about 12 of every 100 people were 65 or older in 1990, about 29 in 2022, and the forecast for 2065 is about 38.

Social security means the support the community gives for old age, illness, disability and unemployment: pensions, health insurance, long-term care insurance and welfare. Most of the money comes from workers' contributions and taxes. In 1990 there were about 5.8 working-age people for each person aged 65 or more; in 2022 about 2; by 2065 maybe 1.3.

Options discussed: a later retirement age, more women and older people working, higher contributions or taxes, careful spending on health, and technology and care robots. Each option helps some groups and costs others.

Local autonomy and shrinking towns

Local autonomy means that towns, villages and prefectures run many of their own affairs: schools, roads, water, care services and local rules, through leaders and assemblies the residents elect. They earn money from local taxes and also get grants from the national government.

When young people move to big cities, small towns lose residents and tax income, but fixed costs such as roads stay. Towns respond by sharing services with neighbours, merging offices, attracting visitors and remote workers, and letting residents help plan. The key question is how much freedom and money local governments should have, and how residents can take part.

Diverse ways of working

Work now takes many forms: regular full-time jobs, non-regular jobs (part-time, contract or dispatched staff), self-employment, remote work, flexible hours and side jobs. In Japan non-regular workers were about 20 of every 100 employees in 1990 and about 37 in 2022.

Benefits: people can match work to family needs, and companies can hire flexibly. Risks: lower pay, less training and weaker social insurance for non-regular workers. Reform ideas include equal pay for equal work, support for childcare and care at home, and rules on overtime.

Change in industrial structure

Economists divide jobs into three groups: primary (farming, fishing), secondary (factories, building) and tertiary (services such as shops, schools, health, IT). In Japan primary work fell from about 30 of every 100 workers in 1960 to about 3 in 2020, while services rose from about 41 to about 73. This shift is called industrial structure change.

Causes: higher incomes, machines and automation, trade with other countries, and new technology. Effects: new jobs in care and IT, but old jobs and some regions decline, so people need retraining. Question to ask: how can workers move to the new jobs?

Try it: run your own mini inquiry

Pick one chart in the 3D. Write a one-line question, then move the year slider and note the numbers. Write one cause, one effect and one idea for action. Share it with a friend and ask what evidence would change their mind.

Key formulas and definitions

Worked examples

1. In 2022, about 59 of every 100 Japanese people were aged 15 to 64 and 29 were 65 or older. How many working-age people are there for each elderly person?

59 ÷ 29 = about 2.0. So about 2 working-age people for each person aged 65 or more.

2. A town in the chart has 8 homes with people at stage 1 and 3 homes at stage 3. By what percent did the number fall?

Fall = 8 − 3 = 5 homes. 5 ÷ 8 × 100 = 62.5%.

3. In 2022, about 37 of every 100 employees had non-regular jobs. In a company with 500 employees at the same rate, how many are non-regular?

37% of 500 = 0.37 × 500 = 185 employees.

Common mistakes

Practice quiz

1. An ageing society has:
2. Who mostly pays for pensions and care?
3. Tertiary sector jobs include:
4. Local autonomy means:
5. The best first step in an inquiry is to:

Practice: answer these yourself

Type or choose your answer, then press Check. Use a hint if you are stuck; the full solution appears after you answer.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Japan studied for ageing?

It was one of the first large countries with a very old population, so its experience helps others plan. Many countries will see similar changes.

What is the difference between regular and non-regular employment?

Regular staff usually have a long-term contract, steady pay and benefits. Non-regular staff work part-time or on contracts, often with lower pay and weaker benefits.

What does "industrial structure change" mean?

It means the mix of jobs across farming, factories and services changes over time, usually moving toward services as an economy grows.

Learn first

Learn next

Related lessons

All Social Science lessons