One-in-four Japan women 'elderly'

One-quarter of Japanese women are aged¹ 65 or over, official figures indicate（指示）, highlighting fears of a looming² demographic crisis in the country.

According to government estimates（估计）, more than 16 million Japanese women have reached 65, the highest number since records began in 1950.

Nearly one-fifth of men are 65 or older, meaning elderly people account for 22.7% of the population.

Japan is expected to face a shortage of workers as the population ages.

Japan now has 28.98m elderly (those 65 or older according to the World Health Organization) out of its population of 127m - 800,000 more than a year ago.

With one of the world's oldest populations, many young people have put off having families because of the costs.

The shrinking ratio（比率） of workers in the population will also face a higher tax burden as healthcare and pension costs rise.

The new government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has promised allowances for couples who have children.

But Japan has traditionally resisted immigration in order to bring more working age people into the country. （本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望