the Japanese population. From the Meiji to the Heisei eras (1868-present), substantial changes occurred not only in the numbers but also in the perception and norms that people take for granted. These changes are traced, side by side, through the chapters on fertility control, health and population ageing, urbanization and internal migration, international migration, and international cooperation in the field of population and development. The book illustrates not the uniqueness that isolates Japan from the rest of the world, but the reality of a population that has faced one situation at a time, offering readers a perspective for understanding human society at large.