少子化問題席捲日本

人口老化與勞動力減少是全球已開發國家所共同面對的人口問題， 這是由於平均壽命增加與生育率降低所導致。其中日本的老年化問題尤其嚴重，已為社會帶來嚴重的經濟危機。為何在政府的鼓勵之下，日本的生育率還是持續低迷？

進入本文前，請先想想怎麼表達以下單字：

a)     平均壽命

b)    父系的

c)     柏拉圖的 

Japan is now facing a rapidly shrinking and aging population. In 2013, the country suffered the biggest population decline in history with a loss of 244,000 people. If the current trend persists, Japan’s population is expected to shrink by nearly a third and over 65s will eventually 1) make up 40 percent of the people in 40 years.

日本正面臨人口快速減少與老化的問題。2013年，日本人口遭受歷史上最嚴重的人口銳減，減少的人口數量高達244,000人。如果這個現象持續發展，預計在40年內，日本將減少約三分之一的人口，而其中有高達40%的人口是超過65歲的銀髮族。

Declining birth rates, combined with a rising a) life expectancy, are the main reasons why Japan’s population is shrinking and aging. It is a country with one of the highest life expectancies and the lowest fertility rates in the world. So why are the Japanese having fewer children? A survey conducted by the Japan Family Planning Association found that a staggering number of young Japanese men and women have 2) turned their backs on relationships and marriages.

出生率的下降加上平均壽命的增加是日本人口正在減少與老化的主要原因。日本是現在全世界平均壽命最高與出生率最低的國家之一。為什麼日本人會減少生育？日本家族計畫協會發現有為數不少的日本年輕人不願意投入戀愛和婚姻關係中。

It can be attributed to the domination of traditional gender roles and its unique “Otaku” culture. Japan has historically been b) patriarchal. Men are expected to be the primary income earners in a household while women are considered main caregivers for children. Women are also responsible for house chores. However, as computer games and Manga cartoons flourish, Japanese men and women seem to be drifting apart to different worlds.

這可以歸因於受到日本傳統性別角色以及其獨有的 “御宅族” 文化所支配。傳統上來說，日本是父系社會。男人被期望成為家中收入的主要來源，而女人負責照顧小孩，同時也要負責家務。但隨著日本電腦遊戲和漫畫的蓬勃發展，日本男性與女性似乎逐漸分道揚鑣。

Anita Rani, a BBC presenter, explores this very special “Otaku” culture in Japan. She interviewed one man, aged 39, who has been dating a virtual teenage girl for several years and now finds himself too emotionally connected with his virtual girlfriend to meet a real woman. “It’s c) platonic,” he says. This is what leads to falling birth rates in Japan. Many men would rather be in virtual relationships than fulfill gender roles and deal with the challenges that real relationships might bring. For Japanese women, the Otaku culture has made it more difficult for them to meet suitable life partners. What’s more, it’s a challenge for them to strike a balance between work and family life after getting married.

英國BBC新聞台主播安妮塔‧瑞妮到日本探索其特殊的“御宅族” 文化。她訪問了一位已與虛擬女友約會數年的39歲日本男性。他認為自己投入過多的情感在他的虛擬女友身上，以至於他無法去接觸真實世界中的女性。「我們之間是柏拉圖式的愛情，」他說道。日本出生率下降的原因就在此，許多男性寧願投入虛擬的戀愛關係，也不願意去符合傳統文化對性別角色的期待，還有處理真實戀愛關係所帶來的種種挑戰。對日本女性而言，這樣的文化讓她們更難找到適合的對象。同時，如何在結婚之後維持工作與家庭之間的平衡，也將會是一大挑戰。

Such demographic change is not without consequences for the Japanese people. The Japanese government has spent large sums of money supporting social services to take care of the elderly, which has only added to the government debt. In the near future, Japan will not have enough workers to support its economic development. It will take both social and economic policies to tackle the demographic problem.

這樣的人口結構改變也帶來一些後果。為了照顧老年人口，日本政府已經投入龐大資金在社會福利上，導致政府債務的增加。在不久的將來，日本將會缺少足夠的勞動人口來支持經濟發展。人口結構的問題將要透過社會政策和經濟政策的雙管齊下才能獲得解決之道。

口語詞彙

1.       Make up

make up有很多意思，在本文是當成「組成」或「佔有（多少比例）」也可用account for替換。The final exam will make up/ account for 50% of the final grade. 期末考將會佔總成績的50%。

2.       Turn one’s back on something/ someone

back是「背部」，將背部轉向something代表你對於一件事情沒有興趣，不願意理會。如果是turn your back on someone，意思是你不願意幫助某人，不想理會他的請求。People are protesting against signing the agreement. The government should not turn its back on their demands. 人們正在抗議簽署該條約，政府不應該忽視他們的請求。Jack is my best friend and he never turns his back on me when I am in need of help. Jack 是我最好的朋友，他從來不會在我需要幫助的時候拒絕我的請求。

Otaku 御宅族

御宅族指的是一群對於動漫和電腦遊戲狂熱的愛好者，現在可用於延伸到任何對於次文化狂熱的一群人。在台灣，我們將這群人稱為「宅男」或「宅女」，指的是不喜歡出門，沉迷網路遊戲的人，但這和原本日本御宅族的意思有所差異。過去人們對於御宅族的形象偏向負面，大多認為這群人沉迷於虛擬世界，與社會脫離。隨著電影《電車男》在日本大賣，現在Otaku文化成為日本不可忽視的經濟力量，也是日本當紅的流行次文化現象。