Japan most pessimistic about future among 4 Asian democracies: poll

Japanese are the most pessimistic about the future of their country among people in four Asian democratic countries also including India, Indonesia and Malaysia, a joint survey by think tanks in the four countries showed Monday.A total of 48.0 percent of Japanese respondents said they are pessimistic, up from 39.8 percent last year, citing "no effective measures against a declining birthrate and aging population" as the top reason for their perception. Some 31.3 percent said they are optimistic, up 10.6 points.The result contrasts with other countries polled in the survey, in which 89.2 per…READ FULL ARTICLE