日本人口安全问题及对中国的启示

Japan's Population Security Challenges and Implications for China

人口安全是国家安全问题。近年来,中国人口发展出现了显著变化,既面临人口众多的压力,又面临人口结构转变带来的挑战,亟需构建适应新时代要求的人口策略体系。日本作为人口众多的发达国家,其人口结构变化与国家发展阶段紧密相关,且走在中国前面。少子老龄化是日本当前人口的主要特点,国民价值观变化、经济压力以及社会环境改变等是造成日本人口生育率下降的主要原因。而人口结构变化对日本国家安全造成一系列挑战,影响社会安全、经济安全和国防安全等。日本对人口问题高度重视,出台了鼓励生育、改革劳动力市场以及打造养老社会等多方面措施。其应对经验对中国人口政策具有一定启示意义。

Population security is an integral part of national security. Over recent years, China has been undergoing profound shifts in its population. Faced with the pressures of a large population and the challenges brought about by demographic restructuring, China urgently needs a population strategy system that caters to the requirements of the new era. As a populous developed country, Japan has experienced structural demographic changes closely echoing its development stage. Currently, Japan is plagued by low birth rates and a rapidly ageing society. Shifting values of its citizens, economic pressures, and changes in the social environment constitute the main reasons behind Japan's declining fertility rate. Significantly, the demographic changes have posed a series of challenges to Japan's national security from social, economic, and defense points of view. Cognizant of its demographic challenges, Japan has introduced various measures such as encouraging childbirth, reforming the labor market, and fostering an age-free society. China can draw some lessons from Japanese experiences when considering its own population policy.