Abstract: Japan is the first country in Asia to undergo demographic transition and has the highest degree of population aging. Its demographic transition has the characteristics of a typical “East Asian model”. Rapid population aging and urbanization, as well as interregional migration, have made Japan face the problems of regional population growth and decline differentiation and the expansion of regional differences in aging. The superposition of natural and mechanical changes has continued to expand this trend, and the population migration caused by regional disparities has strengthened the mechanism of differentiation and deepened the negative effects of demographic factors on regional socioeconomic development. Therefore, Japanese government has carried out a series of institutional developments, including creating a childbirthfriendly environment, implementing local revitalization strategies, implementing measures to revitalize depopulated areas, and improving the national basic social security system. China has just entered the stage of negative population growth. The aging of the population, the decline in fertility, and the regional population growth and d ecline differentiation will become the basic characteristics of population development at this stage. It is necessary to learn from Japans experience and undertake policy preparation from the perspectives of encouraging fertility, increasing rural investment, and narrowing regional disparities.

Key words: regional population growth and decline differentiation, population migration, population aging