[jwells89]

I think the situation in Japan is a bit different, with how the overwhelming majority of its population is concentrated into just a few cities, with that concentration intensifying as the few remaining young people in rural areas move to the cities in search of opportunity. The effects of population decline aren’t that visible in Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, etc, but become evident as one travels further away from major metros.

The population of the US, while still weighted toward cities, is for now still considerably more diffused. Even so, I’ve already seen some of the effects in my tiny rural hometown which has seen its population cut in half in the past decade and change since I moved out. The only reason it’s hanging on at all is because of the major highway running through it and because it’s one of the only places to get essentials (grocery stores etc) in the larger area which pulls in residents of surrounding towns, which are even more depopulated.