level.
The low variant assumption shows that due to the extreme low fertility rate it is projected that the population will rapidly decline. It is projected that the current population level of 20,000,000 will be reduced to 15,000,000 level by 2020. By the middle of the 21st century the population will be reduced to l0,000,000 which is one half of the current population. At the end of the 21st century it is projected that it will decrease to 6,600,000.
Thus, if the low fertility rate level continues to decline and if the extremely low fertility society continues, the population of children can hardly grow. It is inevitable that there will be a society of diminishing population.
However, examining the proportion of the total population to the children's population, the total population will not be significantly changed. The reason is that the total population decreases simultaneously while the proportion of the children's population to the total population gradually decreases proportionally. From the results of the medium variant assumption, the proportion of the children's population will decline from the current 16.0% to 14.3% in 2007 which is the peak population of Japan. Thereafter, the population will gradually continue to decline. In the middle of the next century the children's population will settle at the 13,1% level.
