Japan's population drop a drag on growth

OFFICIAL DATA from Japan show that the Japanese population declined for the eighth consecutive year in 2018. China Youth Daily comments:

According to Japanese official data, by Oct 1, 2018, the total population in Japan, foreign citizens included, had dropped by another 263,000 and reached the low point of 126 million.

Worse, the percentage of the working population, or those aged between 15 and 64, fell to 59.7 percent of the total population, which is the lowest since 1950. The percentage of those over 70 reached 20.7 percent of the total population, rising above the 20 percent mark for the first time.