Call for papers – Special issue: Journal of the Economics of Ageing 

Economics of ageing: Japan in comparative perspective

Submission deadline: 15. May 2025

Guest Editors:

  • Sebastien Lechevalier (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, France, German Institute for Japanese Studies & Canon Institute for Global Studies, Japan)
  • Hippolyte d’Albis (Paris School of Economics, France)
  • Takeo Hoshi (The University of Tokyo, Japan)
  • Brieuc Monfort (Sophia University, Japan)

Special issue information:

We invite submissions to a special issue of the Journal of the Economics of Ageing that focuses on the economics of ageing with a focus on Japan in comparative perspective.

Advanced economies are facing a “slow crisis” with a double demographic shock: a contraction of their population and an increase of the share of over-65s. Japan is at the forefront of this change with the cumulative population contraction of 20% from its peak by the same date while the share of the elderly should reach 40%. Japan is at the center of academic controversies about the economic implications of ageing. This special issue aims to take stock of the current state of the economics of ageing in light of the experience in Japan, putting it in comparative perspective. This is all the more relevant since the Japanese experience has never been at the core of any special issue dedicated to the economics of ageing, contrary to what one may expect, given its relevance for this issue. The contention of the editors of this special issue is that the Japanese case deserves a collection of articles, based on first hand analysis, in a comparative perspective. 

The special issue aims to shed light on issues related to the economics of ageing in Japan, from macro perspective to labor issues and innovation. More precisely, we are interested in issues such as: 

  • Ageing: demography and the economy;
  • Ageing, Saving, and wealth;
  • Gender perspective on Ageing;
  • Relationship Between Population Ageing and Labor Share;
  • The Effect of Ageing on Entrepreneurship and Aggregate Productivity;
  • The impact of workforce ageing on Japan’s productivity;
  • Ageing, labor, and employment practices;
  • Ageing and Happiness.

In addition, we are particularly interested in the two following topics:

  1. The impact of population aging on public finance in Japan at the national and, possibly, prefecture levels.
  2. The long-term care system in Japan and the extent to which it will be able to handle the rising numbers of older adults. 

Manuscript submission information:

Submissions open: 28 November 2024

Submissions close: 15 May 2025

You can submit your paper here. When submitting your paper, please make sure you select the Article Type: ‘VSI: Economics of ageing – Japan‘.