Japan’s Population Growth
Emile Durkheim understood that population growth increases physical density of number of persons per square kilometer. He was also worried about normlessness in a society which called for division of labor to stop population from falling into anarchy. There was increased competition within groups as opposed to between groups. Durkheim referred to the interdependence connection between groups as organic solidarity (Durkheim, 2014). He believed that growth of population would lead to change over from mechanical to organic solidarity. That is social integration founded on homogeneity to social integration due to interdependence between diverse industrial and occupational entities.
Vice and Ishaan’s Indication of Japan’s Negative Population Growth
A short video by VICE indicate that Japan is a country that is literally dying because it has more people above 65 year old. Furthermore, the nation has the smallest number of individuals below 15 years in the world (VICE). Japan’s negative population growth is the fast in the world because few people are having babies. Ishaan Tharoor also noted Washington Post that 70% of men and 60% of women in Japanese people aged 18 to 34 years were not married and had no relationship (Tharoor, 2016). Moreover, 42% of men and 44.2% of women confessed that they were virgins.
Durkheim’s Viewpoint on Japan’s Social Solidarity
Both pieces depict that Japan has a growing social problem and alarming negative population growth in the world. Durkheim would view the reduced reproduction rate and declining population as a threat to social solidarity. Organic solidarity emanates in a society as a result of population growth and division of labor. There is no need of division of labor when there is no population growth and such a society can fall into conflicts, competition and normlessness (Durkheim, 2014). The case of Japan provides that it is possible for a society to move from organic to mechanical solidarity. In other words, the greater change in social structure in Japan due to reduced population will lead to new form solidarity where the government gives married people incentives to have more babies.