In the 15 years to 2010, the working-age population declined by 5.88 million. During the same period, the total population increased by about 1.61 million, with the population aging further.
According to population projections made by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in 2006, the decline in the working-age population will continue to outpace that in the total population until the middle of the 21st century, and in 2055 the working-age population will have almost halved from the current level to 45.95 million in the medium variant projection.