Preparation for the French-Speaking Tour Guide and Interpreter Exam in Japan: 2/ Current Issues in Japanese Society (Demographics, Economy, Ecology, etc.) 

This is the second installment in our series on preparing for the national tour guide and interpreter exam (zenkoku tsūyaku annaishi) in French. After covering the fundamentals of presenting cultural heritage, we now turn to a topic that frequently appears in both the oral exam and the general knowledge questions: the major changes in contemporary Japanese society.

Being able to explain in French why rural areas are depopulating, what an akiya is, or how the world of work is changing equips you to answer the questions that French-speaking visitors actually ask. The text below provides you with both the content and the language to do so. Two interactive quizzes at the end of the article will allow you to check your understanding and then your mastery of the grammatical structures used.

Contemporary Japan is undoubtedly one of the societies that most fascinates French-speaking travelers and observers. At first glance, a visitor is struck by its spectacular hyper-modernity, the efficiency of its infrastructure, its apparent harmony, and, above all, its ability to blend technological innovation with an aesthetic inherited from the past.

Yet, behind the bustle of its major cities, the archipelago is undergoing a period of quiet but profound change. Far from the clichés, Japanese society faces interconnected existential challenges that are redefining its identity. What, then, is 21st-century Japan as it faces its own future?

Demographic Transformation: A Laboratory for an Aging Nation

Japan’s most daunting challenge is undoubtedly its demographic decline. The country has become a “laboratory of aging”: with a fertility rate barely exceeding 1.46 and more than 26% of its population over the age of 65, the very structure of the nation is being upended.

This reality is reshaping the foundations of daily life:

• Regional disparities: In rural areas, depopulation is leading to rapid desertification and the proliferation of akiya (abandoned houses).
• Family structures: In urban centers, single-person households, late-life pregnancies, and the choice to remain single are gradually replacing the traditional community model.
• Social bonds: Isolation (hikikomori) and the erosion of intergenerational solidarity require the invention of new forms of mutual aid, redefining norms and identities.

The Hidden Issue: Japan’s demographic winter is not merely a matter of statistics; it is a profound transformation of society that challenges the very notion of family and citizenship.

An Economy in Search of a Second Wind

Directly linked to this demographic decline, the Japanese economy is forced to reinvent itself. The ongoing decline in the labor force—which could fall by one-third by 2040, representing a loss of 28 million people of working age—threatens national production capacity and the funding of the social welfare system.

To counter this labor shortage, the world of work is undergoing a difficult overhaul. Traditionally structured around a strict hierarchy, lifetime employment, and flexible working hours, the labor market must become more flexible.

The government is encouraging its population to participate in the workforce, particularly by increasing women’s representation in leadership positions and keeping older workers active. At the same time, the country is cautiously opening up to immigration—a true cultural revolution for this historically insular nation—thereby creating a society that is inevitably more diverse, in stark contrast to the myth of a purely homogeneous Japan.

Environment and Energy: The Complex Equation of the 21st Century

Finally, contemporary Japan must address an acute environmental crisis. While Japanese culture is, in the collective imagination, imbued with Shinto values that celebrate a symbiosis with nature, the transition to industrial modernity has left a heavy mark.

As early as the 2000s, the country took a pioneering step by adopting a framework law on the circular economy (the concept of a “sound material-cycle society”), basing its development on the 3R principle — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — to counter the rise in waste associated with its rapid growth.

However, the triple disaster of March 11, 2011, changed the landscape. By revealing the archipelago’s extreme vulnerability to earthquakes and bringing its nuclear power plants to a near-total standstill, Fukushima reignited the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. The current challenge is immense: ensuring energy security while meeting its carbon-neutrality commitments, which is driving the country to invest heavily in disruptive technologies (hydrogen, smart cities) and to integrate environmental action into the revitalization of its depopulated regions.

Two Faces, One Future

While Japan, much like its traditional theatrical arts, embraces contrasts—between a circular economy inherited from the feudal era and an ultra-consumerist lifestyle, between a deep attachment to its traditions and the need for openness— these paradoxes are the driving forces behind its transformation. By seeking a balance between social resilience, economic reforms, and ecological urgency, the archipelago is not merely fighting for its own future: it offers an open-air laboratory for all post-industrial societies.

The akiya phenomenon: what to do with millions of empty homes?

The term akiya (空き家), which literally means “empty house,” refers to the millions of homes and buildings left abandoned throughout Japan. This phenomenon, once confined to isolated rural areas, has now spread to the outskirts of major cities and represents one of the archipelago’s most visible socioeconomic challenges.

The Roots of the Phenomenon

It is estimated that about one in eight homes in Japan is currently unoccupied, and projections suggest that this number could reach 2.3 million by 2038. This proliferation can be attributed to several interconnected factors:

• The demographic crisis: the rapid aging of the population and the declining birth rate are automatically reducing the demand for housing.
• Rural exodus: Younger generations are leaving the countryside in droves to study and work in major cities (Tokyo, Osaka), leaving their family homes behind.
• The inheritance dilemma: Inheriting a rural home means paying property taxes and maintenance costs. Many heirs, having no intention of living there, refuse the inheritance or leave the property to fall into disrepair.
• Real estate depreciation: In Japan, a home’s value lies almost exclusively in its land. A wooden house is considered “worthless” for tax purposes after about 22 to 30 years. Historically, the Japanese have preferred to build new homes rather than buy older ones.

Solutions and Revitalization Initiatives

Faced with this challenge—which degrades the landscape and poses safety hazards (risks of collapse or fire)—the national government and municipalities are implementing several strategies to repopulate these areas and give akiya a second life.

1. Akiya Banks (empty house banks)

This is the best-known initiative. Local governments identify vacant homes and list them on official portals called Akiya Banks. These platforms offer properties at rock-bottom prices—sometimes the equivalent of a few thousand euros—or even for free. The goal is not to make a profit from real estate, but to attract new residents who will pay local taxes and revitalize the community.

2. Financial Assistance and Flexibility

To encourage people to move in, many municipalities offer:

• particularly generous renovation grants, since bringing properties up to code (especially regarding seismic safety and insulation) can cost more than the house itself;
• tax incentives for families with children;
• “startup visas” in certain regions (such as Imabari) to encourage entrepreneurs, including foreigners, to settle there and create business opportunities.

3. New Laws and Enforcement

In 2015, the government passed a special law on vacant homes. It allows mayors to force owners of dangerous or dilapidated properties to repair or demolish them, under penalty of having their property tax benefits revoked. This pressure is prompting many owners to put their properties on the market rather than let them fall into disrepair.

4. Commercial and Tourist Redevelopment

More and more investors, both local and international, are buying up these akiya to repurpose them. Rather than turning them into primary residences, traditional houses are carefully renovated to become guesthouses (minpaku), cafés, artists’ studios, or vacation rentals. This allows visitors to enjoy an “authentic” experience of rural Japan while preserving the architectural heritage.

Work Culture in the Face of a Labor Shortage

Faced with an unprecedented labor shortage, the traditional Japanese work model—based on lifetime employment (shūshin koyō), seniority-based pay (nenkō joretsu), and a massive volume of overtime (zangyō)—is undergoing a profound transformation under the combined pressure of legislative reforms and competition among employers to attract talent.

1. The Erosion of Lifetime Employment and the Seniority-Based System

The traditional model relied on the mass hiring of young graduates (shinsotsu saiyō), who were trained in-house and retained until retirement. Labor shortages have shattered this rigid model:

• The rise of skills-based hiring (job-gata koyō): To attract candidates who can contribute immediately, particularly in new technologies, companies are moving away from undifferentiated hiring in favor of precise job descriptions that define skills and objectives.
• Increased emphasis on mid-career hiring (chūto saiyō): Changing jobs is no longer stigmatized. Job mobility has increased significantly among younger generations, forcing large corporations to offer competitive starting salaries rather than relying solely on the promise of long-term job security.
• A Shift Toward Meritocracy: Automatic age-based salary increases are becoming unsustainable for organizations where a growing proportion of the workforce is over 50. Performance-based evaluations are gradually replacing seniority-based pay scales.

2. The End of “Presenteeism” and the Regulation of Overtime

Historically viewed as a sign of dedication, long working hours posed a major risk of work-related overmortality (karōshi). The government initiated a regulatory shift with the Work Style Reform Act (hatarakikata kaikaku):

• Strict legal cap: Overtime is now capped by law—generally 45 hours per month and 360 hours per year, with strictly controlled emergency limits—under penalty of criminal sanctions for executives.
• Mandatory vacation time: Companies are legally required to ensure that every employee takes at least 5 days of paid vacation per year, a measure designed to break down the psychological barrier to taking time off.
• Shift in managerial values: In many companies, working overtime is now viewed as a sign of operational inefficiency or poor time management, rather than as a mark of loyalty.

3. Increased Flexibility and Openness to New Talent Pools

To address the labor shortage, companies are relaxing their internal rules and diversifying their recruitment efforts:

• Foreign labor: increasing use of the “specialized worker” (tokutei ginō) status to support sectors under severe strain, such as logistics, food service, elder care, and construction.
• Authorization of secondary employment (fukugyō): Once strictly prohibited by most internal regulations, secondary employment is now encouraged by the Ministry of Labor. It allows employees to develop new skills and supplement their income.
• Use of technology and remote work: The digitization of processes and the continued adoption of remote work reduce exhausting commutes and make it easier to retain employees with family responsibilities.
• Greater inclusion of women and older workers: increased use of paternity leave among men and support for women’s careers after maternity leave; a gradual increase in the effective retirement age and re-employment contracts after age 60–65.

Quiz 1: Text Comprehension

Twelve questions to test what you’ve learned: key figures, concepts, and mechanisms. Answer without referring back to the text, then submit to get your score and explanations.

Quiz 2: The Text’s Grammar

Ten analysis questions focusing on the structures actually used in the article: the function of conjunctions, the subjunctive after impersonal constructions, the gerund, detached apposition, relative pronouns “ce qui” and “dont,” and agreement of reflexive verbs. These are the skills you’ll need to discuss a social phenomenon in front of a panel.

This second questionnaire is graded in detail, question by question: you’ll be asked to provide your contact information before your results are displayed, so that we can send you personalized feedback.

Vocabulary to Bring on Exam Day

Ten expressions from the text that you can reuse as is to discuss any social phenomenon:

• a demographic decline / the demographic winter — a sustained decline in population.
• depopulation, desertification — the gradual emptying of a region.
• a labor shortage — a lack of available workers.
• a sector under strain — a sector struggling to recruit.
• the erosion of a model — its slow disintegration.
• to turn the tables — to radically change the situation.
• revitalize / reinvigorate a region — bring new life to it.
• a headache — a problem that’s very difficult to solve.
• a disruptive technology — an innovation that changes the rules of the game.
• to address / counter / make up for a shortfall — the three verbs for responding to a challenge.

Extend the exercise orally

A test measures comprehension and grammatical accuracy, never fluency. However, on the day of the tour guide-interpreter exam, it is your ability to explain a complex phenomenon to a French-speaking listener—without notes and without hesitation—that will be evaluated. Start practicing now: summarize each of the three main sections of this article in two minutes, out loud, using the vocabulary listed above.