The richest man in the world has become one of the most influential voices in the world.

Some people describe him as the most revolutionary CEO of recent years. Others see in him a CEO who is the mirror of an era dominated by trends that follow one another at the speed of a short video on TikTok. 

We stick all the labels on him: meme CEO, megalomaniac. But Elon Musk has managed to get everyone to agree on one important thing: he fills a great leadership vacuum that the world is currently experiencing because of the distrust of political leaders. 

The billionaire, whose fortune is estimated at $247 billion on May 7, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, is worried about the decline of the Japanese population.

"At risk of stating the obvious, unless something changes to cause the birth rate to exceed the death rate, Japan will eventually cease to exist," Musk posted on Twitter on May 7. "This would be a great loss for the world."

"Japan's population falls by record 644,000 to 125.5 mil. in 2021 ⁦@elonmusk,"  account Whole Mars Catalog tweeted at Musk.

The billionaire's cry of alarm followed a post on an article reporting Japan's continued population decline.

The fear of the Tech tycoon seems to be shared by many Twitter users, who recall, for example, that the Japanese population has been declining for many years.

"It's true and it's something to worry about," one user commented. "Japan is so important to the world - we need Japan not only to survive, but to thrive. Hundreds of millions around the globe deeply admire, love and respect the Japanese people.

In 2021, the population declined in Japan by 644,000 to 125.5 million people year on year, according to official figures. And 2021 marked the eleventh consecutive year of decline. If this is the largest annual fall, the Japanese decline is nothing new.