日本人口老龄化危机 社会处于崩溃边缘

We start with a trip to Japan today, where the number of births last year dropped to a record low.

我们从日本之行开始今天的节目。去年，日本的出生人数降至历史新低。

This population decline is a trend for the island nation that experts are worried about.

这个岛国的人口下降趋势令专家担忧。

Deaths have outpaced births for more than a decade, so Japan now has a huge elderly population and a shrinking workforce.

十多年来，日本的死亡人数超过了出生人数，如今，日本老年人口数量庞大、劳动力不断缩减。

There's no population to fund pensions and health care as demand from the aging population rises.

随着老龄化人口需求的增加，日本缺少为养老金和医疗保健提供资金的人口。

Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, warned citizens that the country is on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions.

日本首相岸田文雄提醒国民，日本正处于崩溃边缘，快要无法维持社会功能。

A government agency was even set up to focus on this issue.

日本甚至成立了一个政府机构来关注这个问题。

One reason for the population loss is Japan's high cost of living.

日本人口减少的原因之一是该国高昂的生活成本。

There is also limited space in the cities and a lack of childcare support, which makes it challenging to raise children in Japan.

此外，城市空间有限，儿童保育援助不充分，使得在日本抚养孩子充满挑战。

Let's learn more and head to one rural town where more than half of the village is over the age of 65.

我们将前往一个农村城镇了解更多消息，那里一半以上的村民年龄在65岁以上。

Just after sunrise in the Japanese countryside, no alarm clock needed.

在日本乡村，太阳升起后不需要闹钟。

The Yokobori family feeds their flock of chickens.

横堀一家在喂养他们的鸡群。

French toast for breakfast, bread baked on a wood burning stove.

早餐是法式吐司，面包是用烧柴的炉子烤制的。

Wood they chopped from cedar forests surrounding their home.

木柴是从家周围的雪松林砍的。

Ten years ago, Miho was an office worker in Tokyo. Today, she's a homemaker.

十年前，美穗是东京的一名办公室职员。如今，她是一名家庭主妇。

Former graphic designer Hirohito now a woodworker.

前平面设计师裕仁现在是一名木工。

The couple runs a small bed and breakfast.

这对夫妇经营着一家提供住宿和早餐的小店。

For them, city life lost its luster in 2011.

对他们来说，城市生活在2011年失去了光彩。

A new life in the mountains of Nara Prefecture.

之后，他们在奈良县的山区开始了新生活。

Their home miles from the nearest train station.

他们家离最近的火车站有几英里远。

Around here, you need a car to get around.

在这里，你需要一辆车才能到处去。

It's so beautiful. But you're so far away from all of the 24/7 convenience of Japanese city life.

非常美好。但是这里远不及日本城市生活的全天候便利。

They move to Kawakami Village, a tiny township tucked way on windy roads, the trees taller than most buildings.

他们搬到了川上村，这是一个位于多风道路上的小镇，树木比大多数房屋都要高大。

When the young couple got to know their neighbors, they got quite a shock.

当这对年轻夫妇认识了他们的邻居后，他们大吃一惊。

Did you guys know before moving out here that the average age was as old as it is?

在搬到这里之前你们知道这里的平均年龄是多少吗?

No.

不知道。

You didn't know?

你们不知道吗?

The mayor tells me more than half the village is over 65.

镇长告诉我，村子里超过一半的人年龄都在65岁以上。

40 years ago, the population was around 6000. Today it's 1156.

40年前，这里的人口有6000人上下。今天有1156人。

The village population plunging faster than anywhere else in Japan.

这个村庄人口的下降速度比日本其他任何地方都快。

Some say it's in danger of disappearing for good as people pass away, abandoned homes sit empty.

有人说，随着人们的去世，废弃的房屋空置，这个村庄处于永远消失的危险中。