Japan is in a demographics nightmare.
One in eight Japanese is aged 75 or older. People over 65 will reach 33 million, the largest ever, roughly 25.9% of the population. By today’s trend, Japan’s population will dwindle from 127 million today to around 100 million by 2050.
This has enormous long-term implications for the country and its fundamentals. Fewer people of working age means fewer jobs, less productivity, less consumption and less government tax revenue. A bulging group of older people also means more spending for medical care and pensions. (See “Japan’s demographics spell doom“)
The reason for Japan’s demographics nightmare?
Young Japanese are shunning the idea of marriage and having children. More than that, they increasingly are asexual (see “Increasing numbers of Japan’s youth are asexual“):
- More than 25% (more than 1 of every 4) of unmarried men and women in their late 30s have never had sex.
- A record 61.4% of unmarried Japanese men aged between 18 and 34 have no girlfriends, an increase of 9.2% from 2005.
- Half (49.5%) of unmarried women aged 18 to 34 have no boyfriends, an increase of 4.8% since 2005.
- Young Japanese prefer to be single: nearly half the respondents of both genders said they do not want to date anyone.
Japan’s existential despair can also be seen in the country’s suicide rate: In 2009, the number of suicides exceeded 30,000 for the 12th straight year. Suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30.
While Japanese women are disinterested in Japanese men, they are flocking to a zoo in Nagoya to admire a 400-lb male gorilla whom they call “hunky.”
AFP reports (via Yahoo News), June 26, 2015, that a giant gorilla with brooding good looks and rippling muscles is causing a stir at a Japanese zoo, with women flocking to check out the hunky pin-up.
Shabani, an 18-year-old 400-lb silverback gorilla has become the star attraction at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya. A recent flurry of tweets has made Shabani a national celebrity, with Japan’s broadcasters NHK and NTV featuring the gorilla on popular shows.
Zoo spokesman Takayuki Ishikawa told AFP Shabani is the head of a group of five gorillas: “He often rests his chin on his hands and looks intently at you. He is more buff than most gorillas and he’s at his peak physically. We’ve seen a rise in the number of female visitors — women say he’s very good-looking.”
Women have taken to social media to swoon about Shabani’s rugged looks, describing him as “ikemen” or a hunk, and likening him to a male model.
Ishikawa said Shabani, who has been at the zoo since 2007, shot to fame after being made the campaign model for the zoo’s spring festival earlier this year. The zoo spokesman said the gorilla’s paternal skills are also a big hit with women: “He’s a father and he always protects and looks over his children. Zoo-goers think his kindness is attractive too. He will look you in the eye and sometimes if you’re taking photos it will look like he’s posing for you like a model.”
~Éowyn
