• Marcin Pawel Jarzebski Project Assistant Professor, Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo

• Takeo Hoshi Professor, Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo

Currently many parts of the world, especially urbanized countries, experience a major demographic transition characterized by an ageing and declining population, and Japan is one of the most rapidly going through this process. The ageing and declining population bring tremendous challenges for societies but also it provides opportunities for a positive changed towards more sustainable societies. The purpose of this presentation is to rationalize this interface by (a) identifying the challenges and opportunities that ageing and declining urban populations will have for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and (b) identifying some emerging interventions to capitalize on the opportunities and reduce the challenges. Far from only posing only challenges, ageing and population shrinking can offer opportunities for many SDG targets. It is important to employ various technological, socioeconomic, institutional and governance interventions to leverage the opportunities and minimize the risks that the ageing and shrinking of urban populations will pose for long-term sustainability.