A Cointegration Analysis of the Impact of the Age Structure of the Population on the Household Saving Rate in Japan

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of the age structure of the population on Japan's household saving rate by applying cointegration techniques to time-series data for the 1955–1993 period. It finds that the ratio of minors to the working-age population and that of the aged to the working-age population both have a negative and significant impact on the household saving rate. This finding suggests that the life-cycle model applies even in a country such as Japan, in which this model is less likely to apply due to cultural peculiarities such as the greater prevalence of intergenerational transfers.