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August 13, 2026
 

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POPULATION

Kerala, in southern India, is struggling to care for its elderly population as fertility rates remains low.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 1, 2026
As youth protests dominate India, one state is grappling with an aging problem
Kerala, in southern India, is struggling to care for its elderly population as fertility rates remains low.
As of Jan. 1, the population of Japanese residents in Japan stood at 119.74 million, down 0.76% from the previous year.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 30, 2026
Japanese population falls below 120 million for first time in decades
The population of Japanese residents has been declining for 17 consecutive years since peaking in 2009.
One year after lifting its long-standing two-child limit, Vietnam is actively encouraging people to have more babies as the country risks getting old before it gets rich.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2026
Vietnam unveils ¡®baby bonus¡¯ after scrapping two-child policy
A new population law and regulations coming into effect extend maternity leave from six to seven months for mothers having a second child as well as offer financial help.
A tram stop under Switzerland's national flag at the Bahnhofstrasse street in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Switzerland rejects proposal to cap population at 10 million
The present population isn¡¯t too far off their proposed limit, having risen by almost 2 million this century to 9.1 million.
Swiss voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Bern, Switzerland, on Sunday as the country votes on an anti-immigration proposal to cap the country's population and another referendum on restricting access to conscientious objection to military service.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Switzerland votes on proposal to cap population at 10 million
The unprecedented scheme to dictate population levels by law sits alongside burgeoning efforts by the ?political right in Europe to set tougher curbs on immigration.
A Hotel Belvoir staff member sets a table on a terrace overlooking Lake Zurich, ahead of a June 14 vote on a plan backed by the right?wing party to limit population growth to 10 million inhabitants, in Ruschlikon, Switzerland, on May 27.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 8, 2026
Businesses fear for economy if Swiss vote to cap population at 10 million
The Swiss population had grown to 9.1 million by the end of 2025, from 7.3 million when free movement of people between Switzerland and the European Union was introduced in 2002.
Â鶹´«Ã½ population decline continues to accelerate despite some modest positive signs, highlighting the need for broader social, economic and cultural changes to raise the birth rate.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2026
A bleak prognosis for Â鶹´«Ã½ demographic future
The most recent government statistics show fertility rates hitting record lows ¡ª again.
Low income, difficulties meeting a partner and balancing work with raising a child are some of the factors playing a role in Japan's declining fertility rate, the Children and Families Agency said.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ births hit new low, but drop less severe than previous years
The 2.2% decrease in the number of births recorded in Japan was a relatively modest drop compared to the year-on-year 5% decline seen over the past several years.
China¡¯s one-child policy helped create weak domestic consumption, overwork, youth unemployment and demographic decline, fueling the rise of ¡°lying flat¡± culture ¡ª a threat to the country¡¯s long-term economic sustainability.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2026
Why have China¡¯s young people become so fed up?
Decades of misguided economic policymaking have left China in a demographic hole that it seems incapable of climbing out of.
A humanoid robot is displayed at the Humanoids Summit in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 29, 2026
Labor shortage fuels ramp-up of humanoid robot development
Declining birth rates across the globe are driving an ¡°unprecedented wave of investment¡± in robots to sustain workforces.
Japan's population saw the largest decline on record in 2025, but Tokyo continued to mark a rise in the number of residents.
JAPAN
May 29, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ 2025 census reflects steepest fall in population on record, data shows
Preliminary data shows the nation¡¯s headcount shrank 2.5%, the third straight decline in the nationwide survey conducted every five years.
On June 14, Switzerland will vote on a plan to cap its population at 10 million.
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2026
Switzerland¡¯s plan to cap population at 10 million is worrying executives
The country, whose population already exceeds 9.1 million, will vote on the proposed measure on June 14.
Hiroya Masuda (center), head of the Forum for the Future We Choose, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 27, 2026
Deeply entrenched gender roles a key factor in Â鶹´«Ã½ low birthrate
A survey has found that many women in rural areas feel constrained by social norms, which could lead to a demographic crisis if left unaddressed.
Pedestrians cross a bridge as the Sky Tower and other buildings stand in the background in Auckland, New Zealand, on Feb. 22, 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 18, 2026
New Zealand population growth improves as Kiwi exodus slows
The estimated population increased by 0.8%, or 43,500 people, in the 12 months through March, reaching 5.36 million.
A stagnating labor force driven by aging and reduced immigration is emerging as a bigger long-term threat to U.S. economic growth than short-term labor market conditions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2026
America¡¯s demographic stagnation will make it poorer
The U.S. labor force is not expanding at all, with the adult population growing at an annualized rate of just 0.4% in the first quarter.
The child population, down 350,000 from a year earlier, again fell to the lowest level since 1950.
JAPAN
May 4, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ child population down for 45th straight year
The child population, down 350,000 from a year earlier, again fell to the lowest level since 1950.
Famed biologist and author Paul Ehrlich predicted disaster from overpopulation. But today the challenge is declining fertility, with governments in Asia and Europe seeking ways to boost births to maintain economic and social stability.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2026
Paul Ehrlich¡¯s ¡®Population Bomb¡¯ never went off but did great harm
This isn¡¯t the world that Ehrlich, who died on March 13, envisaged when he published ¡°The Population Bomb¡± in 1968
The last two students at Yumoto Junior High School attend their graduation ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, in March 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2026
We have to stop discussing Â鶹´«Ã½ birthrate like this
Declining Asian fertility is often framed negatively: a backlash against a crushing society. When it happens in the U.S., though, it¡¯s young women taking control over their lives.
Zhang Xiaofei looks at her baby, Zhu Wanning, in Langfang, northern China's Hebei province on March 6. Young Chinese say government measures such as free preschool education and annual subsidies do little to alleviate the financial stress of raising a child.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 9, 2026
Young Chinese parents tighten belts as child care costs rise
China introduced financial incentives last year, including annual subsidies of 3,600 yuan for each child, but young Chinese say they do little to alleviate financial stress.
By prefecture, only Tokyo and Ishikawa recorded increases in births compared with the previous year.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 26, 2026
Number of births in Japan falls to record low for 10th straight year
The data for how many babies were born in 2025 marks the lowest level since comparable records began in 1899, despite government efforts to reverse the trend.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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