Japan posted the fewest births in its recorded history last year prompting fears of societal collapse and the problem is not confined to Japan, China, and South Korea are recording lower birth rates as well.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says he is preparing a policy package that is a last chance to keep society functioning.
Ideas like compulsory paternity leave, cancelling student debt for people who have a baby, and payouts for having a third child have been thrown around in recent weeks but already met with opposition from some quarters.
Why is it happening?
The reasons why Japan in particular is experiencing such a rapid decline in birth rates can be found in the explanations of the young.
‘Having a baby is a debt trap they say, and not a lifestyle that is appealing. Wages are low and the cost of food and housing is high, meaning that young families have too much of a struggle.’
It has become clear that the conditions and incentives for having families have all but disappeared meaning that the systemic bones of Japan are under a huge amount of strain.
Millions of houses are now empty
Ironically, there are vast numbers of houses now empty in Japan because of the declining population. With the death rate now exceeding the birth rate, plus the reluctance of relatives to take on the maintenance and debt of extra houses, it has become inevitable that large numbers of properties just remain abandoned.
Population
The population of Japan this year is 126,476,461. This is a .53% decline since last year. One would think that with so many people, the island nation would be able to sustain itself easily. But as it being discovered elsewhere in the world the lure of employment and family life is no longer there, meaning that political and societal systems are under increasing inability to function.
You could say that Japan’s young people are engaged in a passive form of civil disobedience.
They have no wish to become slaves to a system that does not give them opportunity for betterment.
