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1974 B.A. in Economics, The University of Tokyo
1978 Ph.D. in Economics, Yale University
1978 Associate Professor, State University of New York, Albany
1982 Associate Professor, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka
University
1988 Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo
1993 Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo
2016 Professor, Faculty of Economics, Rissho University
The Notion that a Decline in the Population Means the Economy will
Falter Is Faulty
Yoshikawa I recently wrote a book called Demography and the Japanese Economy.
What I say here is that, well, the fact that the Japanese population is declining is
well known. According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security
Research, the moderate-range estimate of birth rates about 100 years from now is
projected at around, I guess, 40 million. This prediction means that the population
of 120 million will become a third of that size. I also think that such a sudden drop
in the population is a problem. However, it is slightly off the mark to characterize it
as an economic problem. My basic idea is that today’s pessimistic theories that are
popular, like that present-day Japan will only continue to decline because of the
population decrease, that the Japanese market is finished, or that the Japanese economy is over, are all wrong. What will be key is innovation. In that regard, my idea is
exactly the same as the so-called Platinum Society idea of yours, Professor
Komiyama.
Hiroshi Yoshikawa, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Rissho University
Interview