If population is destiny, then much of the world is headed for trouble. At a recent conference hosted by American think tank the Center for Strategic International Studies and the Japan External Trade Organization in Tokyo, economists, academics and healthcare executives warned that rapidly ageing societies are going to hamper economic growth. This will apply most acutely to Japan and Western Europe, but also to the United States and developed Asian countries. But the picture is not all bleak indeed, it creates major new business and investment opportunities.
Naohiro Yashiro, president of the Japan Center for Economic Research, notes Japan's greying population and subsequent decrease in productive workers is creating an opportunity to increase...
