Japan is embarked on a demographic transition without precedent in human history: the population is both declining and ageing rapidly. This raises important questions about the country's future economic geography, as public policies will need both to respond to these shifts and also to shape...

This book combines the work of 18 international scholars in the first comprehensive study of contemporary regional shrinkage under Japan's national depopulation. The contributions have been arranged thematically, and interspersed throughout the book are tables, charts, diagrams and photographs...