The Spatio-temporal Dynamics of Japanese Birth Rates:

Empirical Analyses Using the Expansion Method

Abstract

This paper investigates the spatio-temporal dynamics of Japan's birth rates in the post-World War II period. The results of our analyses suggest that the spatial manifestations of the tail end of the demographic transition in Japan have been influenced by cyclical fluctuations, with a boom which produced a reversal of the traditional rural-urban birth rate differentials. Our analyses implement the research philosophy and the techniques of the Expansion Methodo-logy.