人口定时炸弹：日本人“濒危”的8个迹象

2016 marked a 117-year low for fertility.
2016年见证了117年来日本生育率的新低。

Ever since 1899, the annual number of births in Japan had exceeded one million — until 2016.
自从1899年以来，日本每年出生的婴儿人数都超过了100万——这个趋势一致持续到2016年。

When government officials conducted a tally of total births last year, they counted about 20,000 shy of the benchmark. The death count, meanwhile, fell at around 1.3 million.
去年政府官员开展了年度出生人口统计，他们发现出生人口比基准少了2万人。与此同时，死亡人口比往年减少了130万人。

Young people have started "granny dumping."
年轻人开始“弃老”。

The word ubasute is an old Japanese word that translates to "granny dumping," and according to Japanese news sources, it's making a comeback.
“弃老”是日本的一个古老的词，可翻译为“抛弃老奶奶”。据日本媒体报道，这个词又再度时兴起来。

It describes the unfortunate practice of younger citizens bringing their senile elders to hospitals or charities and essentially abandoning them — generally because they can't afford care anymore.
如今的“弃老”指的是年轻人将家里的老人送到医院或福利机构，然后就此撒手不管——通常是因为他们再也负担不起赡养费用。

The trend still isn't widespread yet: One social worker estimates the total number of cases is in the low hundreds each year.
这种风气目前尚未流行：一个社会工作者估计，每年“弃老”的案件不超过500例。