Changing Trends In Demography and Family Structure In Asia: Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore With Reference To The U.S.A

Fertility decline and population aging are two of the most critical factors accounting for burgeoning family alternatives around the globe today. Asian families are no exceptions, but they present themselves as if their patterns are quite different from their western counterparts.  Even among Asian families, they differ from one another, resulting in the different pattern of their family structures unique to their own.  Therefore, now is the time for us to examine changing trends of population and fertility indicators which seem to result in Asian family alternatives such as lifetime singlehood, elderly couple households, and elderly alone households..

 Historical, archival, current, and prospectus statistical data for four Asian societies- Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore-and the United States are examined.  Following the footsteps of western nations Japan, among Asian nations, took the initiative to launch into the area of population aging and fertility decline. The rate for progress in Japan, however, has been much faster and unprecedented than other western nations.  Nevertheless, today and the prospects on these dimensions in other Asian nations are more striking than their Japanese counterparts.  Fertility decline and population aging started relatively late in these three Asian societies. The prospects reveal, however, that they will be in the critical situation, i.e., the zero/minus population growth in the foreseeable future, in which Japan has currently been undergoing. 

 Asian elderlies must learn to lead independent living lifestyles quite different from those of the traditional ones.  Making the best use of the modern ICT devices, various programs developed for the care of senior citizens would have significant implications for Asian societies that will soon follow the Japanese footsteps. Japan, especially for the care and health management of the elderly, may hopefully give a good guideline for other Asian families in the years to come.