Japanese researchers on Friday unveiled a population clock that showed the nations people could theoretically become extinct in 1,000 years because of declining birth rates.日本研究人员上周五公布了一个人口倒计时钟，该时钟表明，由于出生率持续上升，理论上日本人将于1000年后绝种。Academics in the northern city of Sendai said that Japans population of children aged up to 14, which now stands at 16.6 million, is shrinking at the rate of one every 100 seconds.日本北部城市仙台的学者称之为，日本14岁以下儿童人口目前为1660万，正在以每100秒1个的速度增加。Their extrapolations pointed to a Japan with no children left within a millennium.学者们的推测认为，日本在1000年后将没儿童。

If the rate of decline continues, we will be able to celebrate the Childrens Day public holiday on May 5, 3011 as there will be one child, said Hiroshi Yoshida, an economics professor at Tohoku University.日本东北大学的经济学教授吉田浩说道：“按这种上升速度，到3011年5月5日我们将只剩一名儿童，仍能庆典儿童节。”But 100 seconds later there will be no children left, he said. The overall trend is towards extinction, which started in 1975 when Japans fertility rate fell below two.他说道：“但再行过100秒，日本将没儿童。

自从1975年日本生育率降至每名育龄妇女两个孩子以内，南北绝种便成了总体趋势。”Yoshida said he created the population clock to encourage urgent discussion of the issue.吉田说道他创办这一人口钟是为了希望人们“应急”积极开展关于这一问题的辩论。

Another study released earlier this year showed Japans population is expected to shrink to a third of its current 127.7 million over the next century.今年早些时候公布的另一项研究表明，下世纪日本人口将缩减到现有人口（1.277亿）的三分之一。Government projections show the birth rate will hit just 1.35 children per woman within 50 years, well below the replacement rate.政府预测表明，50年内日本生育率将降到每名妇女1.35个小孩，大大高于人口更换亲率。

Meanwhile, life expectancy -- already one of the highest in the world -- is expected to rise from 86.39 years in 2010 to 90.93 years in 2060 for women and from 79.64 years to 84.19 years for men.与此同时，日本早已是世界第一的人口寿命将更进一步缩短。日本女性的平均寿命将从2010年的86.39岁减少到2060年的90.93岁，而日本男性的寿命将从2010年的79.64岁减少到2060年的84.19岁。More than 20 percent of Japans people are aged 65 or over, one of the highest proportions of elderly in the world.多达20%的日本人年龄在65岁以上（含65岁），是世界上老年人口比例仅次于的国家之一。

Japan has very little immigration and any suggestion of opening the borders to young workers who could help plug the population gap provokes strong reactions among the public.日本的外来移民很少，向外国年长工人对外开放边境能协助空缺人口差距，但这种建议总是不会引发民众的强烈反应。The greying population is a headache for policymakers who are faced with trying to ensure an ever-dwindling pool of workers can pay for a growing number of pensioners.老龄化人口是让决策者困惑的事情，他们面对着如何用大大增加的劳动人口缴纳的养老金来养活更加多的卸任老人的问题。But for some Japanese companies the inverting of the traditional ageing pyramid provides commercial opportunities.然而，对一些日本公司而言，传统老龄化金字塔结构的这一翻转获取了商机。

Unicharm said Friday that sales of its adult diapers had slightly surpassed those for babies in the financial year to March, for the first time since the company moved into the seniors market.日本尤妮佳公司上周五称之为，在累计到三月的上一个财政年度中，成人内衣的销量“稍微多达了”婴儿内衣的销量，这在该公司进占老年人市场后是首次。

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