[with Rael's comment] Japan's population contracts at fastest rate since at least 1947

[Selected by Rael]

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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org  
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RAEL'S COMMENT:

This is a wonderful trend! But the article's stupid conclusions follow the paradigm of market capitalism and nationalism, which requires people to have more children to continue paying for those who are aging. And thanks to science, those who are aging will live longer and longer. Following this stupid logic means that we need to run faster toward crazy, unsustainable overpopulation. The end of market capitalism, replaced by paradism, means that we finally can move toward a controlled reduction of the world's human population, with governments pushing people to have fewer children. That is the only solution that can save humanity and protect  the environment for future generations.

Crazy nationalism, racism and chauvinism are also behind the current stupid policy, since it would be easy to replace the provisional "deficit" of the younger generations by widely opening borders to hungry, Third World immigrants. But nationalists want Japan to be populated only by Japanese, America by Americans, and Europe by Europeans. Even though millions are currently starving in poorer countries, these criminal politicians want to close the borders and urge their own populations to have more “national” babies. This is a crazy, selfish policy.

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Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8989372/Japans-population-contracts-at-fastest-rate-since-at-least-1947.html

Japan's population contracts at fastest rate since at least 1947

Japan's population has contracted at the fastest rate since at least 1947, with the decline made worse by the number of people killed in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

By Julian Ryall in Tokyo

12:38PM GMT 03 Jan 2012

The population shrank by 204,000 in 2011 to a total of 126.24 million, according to the health ministry, the sharpest decline since comparable figures were first compiled in 1947.

Of the total, nearly 20,000 were victims of the magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami that struck the north-east of Japan 10 months ago. According to the most recent figures, 15,844 people have been confirmed as dead in the disaster, with 3,451 still listed as missing.

The total number of deaths throughout the year came to 1,261,000 million, up by 64,000 on 2010, while the number of children born came to 1,057,000, a decline of 14,000 on the previous year.

The ministry data revealed that the largest single cause of death was cancer, accounting for 358,000, followed by 198,000 attributed to heart disease and 126,000 from strokes.

A separate report by the ministry of internal affairs said a mere 1.2 million Japanese were 20 on New Year's Day, less than half the figure in the peak year of 1970.

The number of 20-year-olds – the age of adulthood in Japan – is down 20,000 from last year and at a record low for the fifth consecutive year, the ministry said.

Thanks to medical advances and a high standard of living, Japan has the world's most rapidly ageing society. The falling birth rate poses major concerns for the nation. Fewer children being born means a reduced pool of workers in the near future, leading inevitably to a decline in the amount of tax revenues at the same time as the ageing population requires more support, in the form of health care and pensions, that is paid for by tax contributions.

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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic, anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
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