In 2022, the number of births in Japan hit a 100-year low, with the number of births falling below 800,000 for the first time. Although Japan** has launched a series of preferential policies and welfare measures for childbirth after more than 20 years of efforts, why are Japanese still reluctant to have babies?In addition, the attitude of the Japanese towards marriage has gradually become indifferent. Why is that?It turns out that various economic problems have gradually led to a low marriage rate and low fertility rate in Japan.
Since 1994, a series of maternity subsidies and welfare measures have been introduced, including subsidies for more than four months of pregnancy, long maternity leave, parental leave, child growth subsidies and tuition waivers. Even with such generous benefits, the Japanese still choose not to have children, and even become indifferent to marriage.
According to the 2015 census, about one in five Japanese people will never marry. A whopping 88 per cent of the most marriageable 30-year-olds have declared that they will not marry for life. So why are Japanese people so indifferent to marriage?In fact, this is inseparable from the two events that took place in 1985.
First, the U.S. Department of Commerce launched an investigation into the Japanese chip industry, and then Japan's DRAM memory chips were subject to 100% anti-dumping duties. The second thing is that the Plaza Accord signed by Japan with the United States and other countries led to a rapid appreciation of the yen, followed by the Bank of Japan's monetary easing in order to save the economy, a series of events that dealt a blow to the Japanese manufacturing industry, affecting the income and cost of living of ordinary people.
Due to the national speculation in real estate, everyone is in debt, and the pressure on life has increased, and the problem of income and housing prices has become the main reason why Japanese people dare not get married and have children. This phenomenon has not only affected individual families, but has also brought disaster to the entire Japanese economy.
Chronic low fertility has led to negative population growth, and many small and medium-sized cities and rural areas have become ghost towns**. In order to attract young people, some places** even give away houses for free, but with little success. Second, the low fertility rate has led to an aging population and a decrease in the number of young and middle-aged laborers, resulting in a growing pension gap. Elderly people who have no savings are destined to face difficulties, and some can even deliberately commit crimes in order to go to prison for retirement.
Japan's plight is a wake-up call for other countries that a similar dilemma can only be avoided if a possible demographic problem is addressed early. This issue has not only aroused social concern and controversy, but has also had a profound impact on the entire Japanese economy.
In Japan, for example, the country's low marriage rate and low fertility rate have led to negative population growth, an aging population, and labor shortages. These phenomena not only have a serious impact on the social structure and economic development of the country, but also raise concerns about the future.
Therefore, early detection and response to demographic problems is essential for a country's sustainable development. ** Practical and effective measures are needed to encourage childbearing and marriage, improve people's quality of life and welfare, and create a better economic environment to stabilize the population structure and promote social prosperity. Only in this way can we avoid the recurrence of the challenges that Japan is facing and provide inspiration for other countries.