Subject-oriented Bibliography of Population Surveys and Statistics in Japan

Japan has often been depicted as a statistical paradise. While undoubtedly there is some truth in this characterization, the wealth of published statistical material is also often the outcome of a lack in coordination between different editing governmental bodies, leading to several statistics of similar but not necessarily identical contents. Thus, the major intention of this bibliography is to get a clearer picture of the advantages of existing population surveys in Japan. Apart from published statistical surveys in the narrower sense, analytical reports as well as nation-wide surveys on attitudes on population-relevant topics will also be included. Since own bibliographical investigations have been extremely facilitated by the use of data bases and the internet, however, conventional-type bibliographies are getting increasingly out of date. Therefore, in this bibliography the surveys are introduced by showing their usability with regard to the analysis of current problems such as aging, fertility decline, increasing social inequality, or immigration of foreign migrants. The second part will be composed of a list of all surveys, including their main characteristics, by alphabetical order.