As Japan's student population shrinks in an ageing society, universities are delighted to find ways to attract older, richer students.

ECONOMIST: Japan's best engineers are having to learn about business

One obvious consequence will be pressure on the social-insurance system, including health care and pensions, as the working-age population shrinks dramatically.

ECONOMIST: Japan

Christians are invariably defensive because any topic they broach or respond to gets hammered by atheists as the atheist population grows and the Christian population shrinks within that community.

FORBES: Religion vs. Atheism Part Two

In the short run that includes keeping fiscal-easing measures in place, at least until there is less deflationary slack in the economy. (So far the government has prevaricated about the need for continued fiscal stimulus.) In the longer term, it should strive to raise Japan's trend rate of growth, which many reckon has fallen to about 1% a year from 1.5-2% previously, as the population shrinks.

ECONOMIST: Deflation in Japan

Yet Mr Fukuda has chosen to tackle road-building issues within the context of sweeping tax reforms designed to set the state's shaky finances on a sounder footing as Japan's population both shrinks and ages.

ECONOMIST: A grey man tries to show his gumption

Raising Japan's trend growth rate would be difficult, especially as the population ages and shrinks.

ECONOMIST: Is Japan back in a deflationary trap?

Thirdly, as the population ages and shrinks, demand will probably weaken.

ECONOMIST: The future of Japan

The 3.2m football fans from around the world who attended this year's World Cup tournament in South Africa were twice as numerous as Qatar's entire population, which anyway shrinks during the summer months, when the matches are to be held.

ECONOMIST: From the ridiculous to the sublime