After devastating acts of barbarianism against other Asian nations, and their subsequent demolition by the US, Japan seemed to rise from their ashes to become the world's second largest economy - for a little while.
But that was then. After two decades of recession, earthquakes, tsunamis, shutting down their nuclear energy component, and an influx of Chinese and Americans, the Japanese are in decline. The population of the country has taken a nosedive, and in about 900 years all Japanese will disappear from planet earth - entirely.
Of 117 million today, just 14 million are kids under 14. The population is aging and not reproducing. The birthrate has fallen to 1.35 per fertile woman, almost half the replacement figure. And more than 20% of Japan's people are aged 65 or over, one of the highest proportions of elderly in the world.
Theories abound, but it's clear Japan is vaporizing. A cruel irony given the ferocious spirit once prevalent in a tiny nation that once wanted to rule the world..
