Japan is currently the world’s oldest country, with a population that is declining by over half a million people each year and is projected to shrink to 70% of its current size by 2065. Population aging and decline is an issue currently faced by all wealthy countries that will be of critical global relevance in the decades to come as long-term global fertility decline reshapes the age structure of the world population. As Japan leads the path into this uncharted territory, it can been viewed as a “laboratory of the future,” with other countries looking to Japan to understand the implications of unprecedented demographic change and to evaluate the failures and successes of policies implemented in response to the myriad social and economic changes associated with rapid aging and population decline.