日本人口五年间减少逾300万，发生了什么？

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?

A. A problem is introduced, followed by its causes, effects, and potential solutions.

B. A historical overview is given, then a comparison with other countries.

C. A series of statistics are presented, followed by a critique of government policy.

D. A prediction is made, supported by evidence from multiple prefectures.

无注释原文：

How Japan Lost 3 Million People in Five Years

From: The New York Times

Japan's population fell by more than 3 million over the past five years, according to official statistics released on Friday, a drop that underscores the depths of the country's accelerating demographic crisis.

The population stood at 123 million in 2025, according to preliminary census results, down from 126.1 million in 2020. It is the biggest decrease since the government began collecting census data in 1920.

Japan's population peaked in 2008 at 128 million, and it is projected to fall to 87 million by 2070. The country is now roughly the same size it was in 1989.

For decades, the Japanese authorities have tried to make up for the rapidly aging population by encouraging young people to have more children. But the effort has fallen short, leaving the country with one of the world's lowest birth rates. For each new birth, there are two deaths.

Japan is a harbinger of the demographic headwinds that will soon buffet other developed countries. The shrinking population is already constraining Japan's economic growth, putting pressures on its health care system and causing labor shortages.

The census data shows that the demographic crisis has now reached almost every part of Japan. All but two of the country's 47 prefectures reported population decreases in 2025, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

Among the hardest hit areas were the northern prefectures of Akita and Aomori, where the population shrank by about 8 percent from 2020 to 2025. Those areas are home to some of Japan's oldest residents, and young people have left at a rapid rate because of stagnant wages and harsh winters.

The Japanese countryside is hollowing out as the population ages and young people leave to seek jobs in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and other cities. In some rural areas, schools are being converted into nursing homes and community centers. Millions of homes are vacant; government offices and hospitals are downsizing; and train lines are shutting down.

Opening Japan's doors more widely to foreigners could help offset the declines. But the government has long taken a cautious approach to immigration, and nationalist politicians and commentators have gained influence recently with a “Japan First” agenda.

“Japan has now reached a level where this kind of decline is not reversible in the short- or medium-run,” said James Raymo, a professor of sociology at Princeton University who studies Japan. “It simply will not happen in the absence of mass immigration.”

Japan's woes are likely to worsen in the coming decades. It will probably become increasingly difficult to find workers to staff schools, hospitals, police departments and train stations. And the country could lack enough young people to pay the taxes necessary to support retirees.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

How Japan Lost 3 Million People in Five Years

From: The New York Times

Japan's population fell by more than 3 million over the past five years, according to official statistics released on Friday, a drop that underscores the depths of the country's accelerating demographic crisis.

根据周五发布的官方统计数据，过去五年日本人口减少了逾300万。这一降幅凸显出该国日益加深的人口危机之严峻。

statistic /stəˈtɪs.tɪk/ 表示“统计数字”，英文解释为“a fact in the form of a number that shows information about something”举个🌰：The city's most shocking statistic is its high infant mortality rate. 这座城市最令人震惊的统计数字是其高婴儿死亡率。

复数，statistics 表示“统计数据；统计资料”，英文解释为“information based on a study of the number of times something happens or is present, or other numerical facts”举个🌰：Statistics show/suggest that women live longer than men. 统计资料显示女性比男性寿命长。

underscore /ˌʌn.dəˈskɔːr/ 表示“突出显示；强调”，英文解释为“If something such as an action or an event underscores another, it draws attention to the other thing and emphasizes its importance.”举个🌰：The figures underscore the state of the economic recovery. 数据突出显示了经济复苏的状态。

🎬电影《笔下求生》（Stranger Than Fiction）中的台词提到：lts desperate attempts to escape... only underscore the hopelessness of its plight. 它绝望的挣扎 只能强调它无望的处境。

accelerating /əkˈsel.ə.reɪ.tɪŋ/ 表示“加速的”，英文解释为“becoming faster”举个🌰：Arctic Ocean ice is shrinking at an accelerating rate. 北冰洋的冰层正在加速消融。

demographic /ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪk/ 1）作形容词，表示“人口的；人口统计的；人口学的”，英文解释为“relating to demography (= the study of populations and the different groups that make them up)”举个🌰：There have been monumental social and demographic changes in the country. 该国的社会和人口状况已经发生了巨大的变化。

2）作名词，表示“（顾客）族群”，英文解释为“a group of people, for example customers, who are similar in age, social class, etc.”举个🌰：This demographic (young teenagers) is the fastest-growing age group using the site. 该族群（十几岁的年轻人）是使用这个网站人数增长最快的年龄群体。

📍demographics /ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪks/ 表示“人口统计数据，人口统计结果”，英文解释为“the number and characteristics of people who live in a particular area or form a particular group, especially in relation to their age, how much money they have and what they spend it on”举个🌰：The demographics of the country have changed dramatically in recent years. 近年来该国的人口统计数据发生了巨大的变化。

The population stood at 123 million in 2025, according to preliminary census results, down from 126.1 million in 2020. It is the biggest decrease since the government began collecting census data in 1920.

根据人口普查的初步结果，日本2025年人口为1.23亿，低于2020年的1.261亿。这是自政府1920年开始进行人口普查以来的最大降幅。

preliminary /prɪˈlɪm.ɪ.nər.i/ 表示“预备性的；初步的；开始的”，英文解释为“happening before a more important action or event”如：preliminary results / findings / enquiries 初步结果 / 发现 / 调查，举个🌰：After a few preliminary remarks he announced the winners. 说了几句开场白之后，他即宣布优胜者名单。

census /ˈsensəs/ 表示“人口普查；（官方的）调查，统计”，英文解释为“A census is an official survey of the population of a country that is carried out in order to find out how many people live there and to obtain details of such things as people's ages and jobs.”举个🌰：The detailed assessment of the latest census will be ready in three months. 有关最新人口普查的详细评估工作将在3个月内就绪。

Japan's population peaked in 2008 at 128 million, and it is projected to fall to 87 million by 2070. The country is now roughly the same size it was in 1989.

日本人口在2008年达到1.28亿的峰值，预计到2070年将降至8700万。目前日本的人口规模大致与1989年持平。

peak /piːk/ 可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“（达到）峰值”，英文解释为“When something peaks, it reaches its highest value or its highest level.”举个🌰：Temperatures have peaked at over 90 degrees. 温度已达到峰值，超过了90度。

For decades, the Japanese authorities have tried to make up for the rapidly aging population by encouraging young people to have more children. But the effort has fallen short, leaving the country with one of the world's lowest birth rates. For each new birth, there are two deaths.

几十年来，日本政府一直试图通过鼓励年轻人生育更多孩子来弥补人口迅速老龄化的影响。但这一努力收效甚微，导致日本成为全球出生率最低的国家之一。如今每出生一个新生儿，就有两人去世。

表示“未达到数量（或要求）”，英文解释为“to fail to reach an amount or standard that was expected or hoped for, causing disappointment”举个🌰：August car sales fell short of the industry's expectations. 8月汽车销量未达到业界的期望。

Japan is a harbinger of the demographic headwinds that will soon buffet other developed countries. The shrinking population is already constraining Japan's economic growth, putting pressures on its health care system and causing labor shortages.

日本的情况是即将冲击其他发达国家的人口逆风的信号。人口萎缩已经在制约日本的经济增长，给医疗体系带来压力，同时引发劳动力短缺。

harbinger /ˈhɑː.bɪn.dʒər/ 表示“（尤指坏事的）先兆，预兆”，英文解释为“a person or thing that shows that something is going to happen soon, especially something bad”如：a harbinger of doom 毁灭的先兆。

headwind /ˈhed.wɪnd/ 表示“顶风，逆风”，英文解释为“a wind blowing in the opposite direction to the one you are moving in”举个🌰：The runners had to battle against a stiff/strong headwind. 跑步者只能顶着劲风前行。

buffet /ˈbʊf.eɪ/ 表示“自助餐”，英文解释为“a meal where people serve themselves different types of food”举个🌰：Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding? 你办婚礼想摆桌宴还是提供自助餐？

作动词，buffet /ˈbʊf.eɪ/ 表示“（风、雨等）连续猛击，打击”，英文解释为“(of wind, rain, etc.) to hit something repeatedly and with great force”举个🌰：The little boat was buffeted mercilessly by the waves. 海浪无情地拍打着小船。

shrink /ʃrɪŋk/ 表示“（使）缩小，（使）变小”，英文解释为“to become smaller, or to make something smaller”举个🌰：Your sweater will shrink if you wash it at too high a temperature. 用温度过高的水洗毛衣，毛衣会缩水。

表示“限制；约束；束缚”，英文解释为“to control and limit something”举个🌰：The company's progress was constrained by a leader who refused to look forward. 公司领导缺乏发展眼光限制了公司的进步。

The census data shows that the demographic crisis has now reached almost every part of Japan. All but two of the country's 47 prefectures reported population decreases in 2025, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

人口普查数据显示，人口危机现在已波及日本几乎所有地区。2025年，日本47个都道府县中有45个报告人口减少，且人口下降速度正在加快。

prefecture /ˈpriː.fek.tʃər/ 表示“（法、意、日等国的）地方行政区域；省；县；辖区”，英文解释为“an area of local government in some countries, for example France, Italy and Japan”

📍2019年政府工作报告Part 15中提到，“三区三州”用的是“three regions and three prefectures”，原句：加大“三区三州”等深度贫困地区脱贫攻坚力度， We will intensify poverty alleviation in areas of extreme poverty like the "three regions and three prefectures,"

Among the hardest hit areas were the northern prefectures of Akita and Aomori, where the population shrank by about 8 percent from 2020 to 2025. Those areas are home to some of Japan's oldest residents, and young people have left at a rapid rate because of stagnant wages and harsh winters.

受冲击最为严重的地区包括北部的秋田县和青森县，两地人口在2020年至2025年间均减少了约8%。这些地区居住着日本最年长的人口群体之一，加之工资增长停滞和冬季严寒，年轻人正在加速流失。

stagnant /ˈstæɡ.nənt/ 表示“停滞的，不发展的”，英文解释为“not growing or developing”

The Japanese countryside is hollowing out as the population ages and young people leave to seek jobs in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and other cities. In some rural areas, schools are being converted into nursing homes and community centers. Millions of homes are vacant; government offices and hospitals are downsizing; and train lines are shutting down.

随着人口老龄化，以及年轻人前往东京、大阪、名古屋等大城市寻找工作机会，日本农村正在逐渐空心化。在一些农村地区，学校被改建成养老院和社区活动中心。数百万套住宅空置；政府机关和医院规模缩减；铁路线路相继停运。

hollow /ˈhɒl.əʊ/ sth out表示“把…挖空；使变空”，英文解释为“to make an empty space inside something”举个🌰：Sand carried by the wind has hollowed out the base of the cliff. 风挟带的沙子将悬崖的底部掏空了。

此处是比喻用法，引申为“（因人口、资源等流失而）使…逐渐空虚、空洞化”。

Opening Japan's doors more widely to foreigners could help offset the declines. But the government has long taken a cautious approach to immigration, and nationalist politicians and commentators have gained influence recently with a “Japan First” agenda.

向外国人更广泛地开放国门可能有助于抵消人口下降的影响。但长期以来，日本政府对移民持谨慎态度，而奉行“日本优先”议题的民族主义政客和评论人士近年来影响力日增。

offset /ˌɒfˈset/ 作动词，表示“抵消；弥补；补偿”，英文解释为“to use one cost, payment or situation in order to cancel or reduce the effect of another”举个🌰：Prices have risen in order to offset the increased cost of materials. 为补偿原料成本的增加而提高了价格。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述疫情下机器人自动化的文章中提到：Companies reshoring production have sought to offset the high cost of human labour with the engineered sort. 把生产迁回本国的公司纷纷利用工程手段来抵消高人力成本。

“Japan has now reached a level where this kind of decline is not reversible in the short- or medium-run,” said James Raymo, a professor of sociology at Princeton University who studies Japan. “It simply will not happen in the absence of mass immigration.”

研究日本问题的普林斯顿大学社会学教授詹姆斯·雷莫表示：“日本的人口下降已经到了短期和中期内无法逆转的程度。在没有大规模移民的情况下，这一局面根本不可能改变。”

reversible /rɪˈvɜː.sə.bəl/ 表示“可翻转的；可逆的”，英文解释为“If something is reversible, it can be changed back to what it was before.”举个🌰：The surgery is not reversible. 这一手术不可逆转。

Japan's woes are likely to worsen in the coming decades. It will probably become increasingly difficult to find workers to staff schools, hospitals, police departments and train stations. And the country could lack enough young people to pay the taxes necessary to support retirees.

未来几十年，日本的人口困境很可能进一步恶化。届时，为学校、医院、警察部门和火车站配备足够工作人员可能会越来越困难。而且，日本可能缺乏足够多的年轻人缴纳税收来支撑退休人口。

woe /wəʊ/的复数形式woes，表示“麻烦；问题；困难”，英文解释为“the troubles and problems that sb has”举个🌰：Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。

而woe作不可数名词时，表示“悲伤；悲哀”，英文解释为“extreme sadness”举个🌰：Her face was lined and full of woe. 她满脸皱纹，一副悲伤的表情。

- 词汇盘点 -

- 词汇助记 By AI -

LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2026年6月4日

第4135天

每天持续行动学外语