Japan Shrinks

Domain runs an article headlined "Tokyo's abandoned homes." The issue, of course, is the shrinking Japanese population. Hat tip to Ed Driscoll, guest blogging at Instapundit, for the link.

Long-term vacancy rates have climbed significantly higher than in the United States or Europe, and some eight million dwellings are now unoccupied, according to a government count. Nearly half of them have been forsaken completely – neither for sale nor for rent, they simply sit there, in varying states of disrepair.

These ghost homes are the most visible sign of human retreat in a country where the population peaked a half-decade ago and is forecast to fall by a third over the next 50 years. The demographic pressure has weighed on the Japanese economy, as a smaller workforce struggles to support a growing proportion of the old, and has prompted intense debate over long-term proposals to boost immigration or encourage women to have more children.

How the mighty have fallen! We're a long way from the era when Japan, Inc. threatened to take over the world. They've given up. Much of Europe has, as well.