F2F Class Notes (Nemo) [R]

Vocabulary

statistics (n): 1-a collection of numerical facts or measurements, as about people, business conditions, or weather:
E.g.: The statistics show that, in general, women live longer than men.

consecutive (Adj):1- Consecutive events, numbers, etc. follow one after another without an interruption:
E.g.: This is the fifth consecutive weekend that I’ve spent working.
E.g.: Unemployment has risen again for the third consecutive month.

dwindle (v): 1-to become smaller in size or amount, or fewer in number:
E.g.: The community has dwindled to a tenth of its former size in the last two years.
E.g.: Her hopes of success in the race dwindled last night as the weather became worse.
dwindling (adj):
E.g.: dwindling numbers/supplies

coupled (with): 1-to join or combine:
E.g.: The sleeping car and restaurant car were coupled together.
E.g.: High inflation coupled with low output spells disaster for the government in the election.

car [train] carriage: a part of a train used for a special purpose:coach, us car any of the separate parts of a train in which the passengers sit:
E.g.: a railway carriage
E.g.: a restaurant/sleeping car

demographer-a person who studies changes in numbers of births, marriages, deaths, etc. in an area over a period of time
demography (n): 1the study of changes in the number of births, marriages, deaths, etc. in a particular area during a period of time:
E.g.: historical demography
E.g.: Demography is the statistical study of human populations.

(ticking) time-bomb (n): 1-a situation that is likely to become difficult to deal with or control:
E.g.: By ignoring the wishes of their employees, the managers are setting/creating a time bomb for themselves.

diminish (v): 1- to reduce or be reduced in size or importance:
E.g.: I don’t want to diminish her achievements, but she did have a lot of help.
E.g.: These memories will not be diminished by time.
E.g.: What he did has seriously diminished him in many people’s eyes.

brewery (n): 1-a company that makes beer or a place where beer is made

Pronunciation

brewery-/ˈbrʊr.i/

The number of children in Japan has fallen to its lowest number since records began. There were 170,000 fewer children in Japan at the end of March 2018 than there were a year earlier. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued a report on Friday showing the falling numbers of children. According to the statistics, the number of children aged 14 or under dropped for the 37th consecutive year. There was another record fall in the ratio of children to the overall Japanese population. This dropped to a new record low of 12.3 per cent and was the 44th year of decline in a row. This ratio is the lowest among countries in the world with a population of 40 million or more.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been trying to address the country’s dwindling birth rate. He has introduced several measures to encourage lower-income families to have bigger families. However, these measures seem to be having little success. This is coupled with the fact that fewer Japanese people are getting married, which demographers say is a “ticking time-bomb” for Japan. The number of annual births in 2016 fell below one million for the first time since the government began collecting data in 1899. Japanese demographers predict that by 2050, Japan will have 23 per cent fewer citizens. This means a rapidly aging society and a greatly diminishing workforce.