Now Japan is officially under negative population growth, more people are dying then being born. Some critics are saying Japan needs immigration to sustain population growth, or even just to maintain current population.

City centric population pattern in Japan has been talked about since '60s and '70s, actually. Back then adding metropolitan populations of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka exceeded half of entire population of Japan. Today adding metropolitan populations of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya exceeds half of entire population of Japan. Situation is getting worsen, not better. When I am out around Japan on business, once common theme I hear is there are no jobs in country side, or least there are no jobs in country side which are comparable pay to jobs at cities. This is leading especially young working populations to migrate to large metropolitan area and elderly retired populations to remain at country side.

Japan is already experiencing heavy retired population and less working population, but at country side it is worse. This is leading to lack of maintaining basic infrastructure at country side. People are not taking jobs at country side for police, fire department, teacher, doctors, public works, etc. Even town halls are filled with elderly elected official with no site of younger people running for a public office in country side town. There are some towns forcing to close because of that, and one of reason behind "Heisei Mega Merger" (平成大合併) was by merging of small towns for the survival.