Japan's supermarkets closing due to fall in population

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – As Japan's population declines and ages, many supermarkets are closing, posing difficulties for the elderly in accessing essential groceries and daily items.

Operators report a drop in customers due to population decline and other factors. Business prospects appear bleak, with some stores finding new management, while others lack successors, Tokyo-based NHK News reported.

Over 8.2 million elderly individuals in Japan, roughly a quarter of those aged 65 or older, struggle to access shopping facilities, according to a study by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries' Policy Research Institute.

An 85-year-old woman residing in Tottori province, southern Japan, has sustained leg injuries, rendering her unable to walk to the supermarket. She now relies on assistance from her family members for grocery shopping.

Given these circumstances, provincial municipalities are also trying to promote mobile grocery trucks and providing bus services to reach distant supermarkets.

Japan's population of 126.15 million as of 2020 is expected to fall under the 100 million threshold in 2056.

The country's population aged 65 or above is projected to hit 33.67 million in 2070 after peaking at 39.53 million in 2043. In 2070, they will comprise 38.7% of the population, resulting in a high rise in social security costs.

Japan's population shrank by 556,000 in 2022 from a year earlier to 124.9 million, as the number of Japanese nationals saw its largest drop on record.