Someone is needs to stop. At the end of January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated with concern that Japan urgent action will need to be taken to declining birth ratewith an imperative that echoes the resounding “Now or never”, now or never: “This is a question that simply cannot wait any longer,” reports Al Jazeera.
The population of the world’s third largest economy has been declining for several years and has declined sharply over the 2020-21 biennium. According to Japanese government data, the number of inhabitants is expected to decline from the current 125 million to around 88 million in 2065, a 30% drop in just 45 years. “Japan is a country where adult incontinence pads sell better than baby diapers.”remember Guardian. While the number of people over the age of 65 continues to rise, now accounting for more than 28% of the population, the birth rate remains stubbornly low. According to statistics, a Japanese woman expects to give birth to an average of 1.3 children in her lifetime, well short of the 2.1 required to achieve what scientists call “population turnover.”
There are many reasons for the decline in the birth rate, the phenomenon is not new, even Western countries (especially ours) have to deal with a population that has not been growing for years. Japan is the third most expensive country to raise a child, behind only China and South Korea. The median annual salary, which has hardly risen since the late 1990s, is about $39,000, compared to the OECD average of nearly $50,000. “Raising a child really costs a lot of money.”, says Chika Hashimoto in the ad. Al JazeeraA 23-year-old girl who recently graduated from Temple University in Tokyo and considers the option of a family only as a secondary one.
In response, the Japanese government has announced that it will increase antenatal and postnatal financial support, but still has to deal with the high cost of childcare and compulsory education, where policies are lacking. So the idea is to solve the problem with a series of economic bonuses, but the message that Japanese girls want to pass is different, and it’s perfectly clear: it’s not money that will change our minds. They don’t ask for incentives they demand policies that narrow the gender pay gap and a ruling class capable of solving the social problems of the future.
“It seems strange to me that Japan’s current political strategy to increase the birth rate is led by older men who have delegated childcare to their wives,” said Maki Kitahara, 37. We need more women in politics and leadership positions to sit at the negotiating table.only then can we speak and plan for our future.” According to Yuko Kawanishi, professor of sociology at Lakeland University in Tokyo, the employment system is divided into seiki (full time) e Hiseiki (contract workers) is a key factor in Japan’s demographic decline: only 30% of mothers fall into the first, safer and higher paying job category.
“Government assistance could temporarily solve the problem,” concludes Hashimoto, “but there is still a lack of a deeper structural system that would help improve the lives of families”.
Source: Elle