The Council on Population Education (CPE) was formed in January 1973 by experts in population and reproductive health, and NGO and media representatives who were concerned with the lack of understanding of the ever-worsening world population issues. At present, the council has around 120 members. The President is Yasushi Akashi, former UN Under-Secretary General. The Executive Director is Michio Ozaki who is also Executive Director, APDA.

On 12th September 2005, a Regular CPE Study Meeting was held at JOICFP, under the title of "Population Strategies in the 21st Century for Survival of Human Beings," with around 25 opinion leaders in the field attending.

Dr. Toshio Kuroda, President, JOICFP, Director Emeritus, Nihon University Population Research Institute, addressed the meeting and spoke about the history of population conferences, stages of population growth, and the aging of society.

A view of the meeting

Population conferences

1974 The first population conference, the World Population Conference, Bucharest.
Certain countries refuse to recognize the need to address population as an issue and high population growth rates, citing access to ample resources etc.
The World Population Plan of Action first adopted.

1984 The International Conference on Population, Mexico City.
Developing countries start to take the initiative as donor funding slows.
Demographic goals and targets are set.

1994 The International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo.
Shift from the macro approach of population to the micro approach of the individual.
A 'rights-based' approach is adopted in the ICPD Program of Action.

2004 No large international conference held despite the fact that major population and development issues remain.

Dr. Kuroda pointed out that in only 20 years from 1974 to 1994, the plan had become a program.

Four watersheds in population growth

10,000 to 5,000 B.C. The agricultural revolution.

18th to 20th century Industrial revolution, and medical and environmental revolution.

20th century Population growth becomes the population explosion.

21st century Population still expanding but stable balance of population structures expected by 2050.

Dr. Kuroda emphasized that established population transition theories no longer explained the population dynamics of the 21st century and that new theories and strategies must be developed.

Akashi (left) listens as Dr. Kuroda delivers his talk

Japan's role

Japan, Dr. Kuroda said, can contribute to international development concerning population, especially in Asia, as it is in the forefront of the population transition to an aging society and has the experience to cope with it.

He repeated that new strategies were needed to deal with the population challenges of the 21st century, and he urged demographers and related experts to network to find the wisdom needed.

He ended by saying that from the 18th to 20th centuries, population was seen as a part of economics, but that now it needed to be a priority. Africa's population was increasing, Europe's was decreasing, for example, and population itself was changing societies, culture, religions, etc., he said, therefore new theories were urgently required.

(from left) Yasuo Kon, Chairman,
JOICFP, Ozaki, Akashi, Dr. Kuroda,
and The-Hsiung Sun, President,
Planned Parenthood Association of Taiwan,
Professor, National Taiwan University,
who attended as a special guest