Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda called for "prompt action" to address the problems created by ageing populations in Asia at last week's Bank of Thailand policy forum.

Kuroda warned the "transition from demographic dividend to demographic onus" in a country can lead to a decline in its potential growth rate and intergenerational income transfers, which then inhibit domestic demand.

Japan's working age population began shrinking in the mid-1990s, he noted, but the authorities only took