Japan’s population continues to plummet with no end in sight.The most recent government statistics show fertility rates hitting record lows — again. While it can be argued that Japan should be a smaller nation and managing that decline would in some ways augment the nation’s status and standing in the world, the current trajectory does not make that case.Japan must address its shrinking population. Perhaps the immediacy of the problem will make its solution more urgent. The record to date does not offer grounds for hope.