Why does Japan have so few children? - BBC News
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- Опубліковано 6 тра 2022
- Japan's number of children has been reported to be at its lowest since 1950.
There are just 14.6 million children in the nation under the age of 14, according to figures from Japan's internal affairs ministry.
Japan's falling birth rate and high life expectancy is putting pressure on public spending and resulting in labour shortages.
The BBC's population correspondent Stephanie Hegarty reports.
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Nobody will want to have children if their surroundings are filled with the culture of overworking, expensiveness, unstable political situation, and huge stress. The same thing also happens in my home country, but government can quickly cover any bad news with Kpop issue 🙂
Nobody will want to have children if their surroundings are filled with the culture of overworking, expensiveness, unstable political situation, and huge stress. The same thing also happens in my home country, but government can quickly cover any bad news with Kpop issue 🙂
Japan is surely an advance country with technology but poorly low birth rate
You have just to see at your own window or your tv and see how bad is mankind these days. People are really not optimistic about the future, neither am i. Environmental issues, Unemployment issues, supplies issues, healthcare issues, Inflation etc etc etc. It's not new for sure, but first time we have all these issues at the same time with risk of a 3rd world war, bullshit jobs, our lives (real and digital) sold to big companies. This is really not great! Not even acceptable.
Also, how lowly women are treated. Why would a woman want to have a child that would require her to quit work, or be called a bad mother? AND do you know how common cheating is? Its not a women problem, it's about society and women finally realising there's more to them than child bearing
True my country aswell, it's a mess because of the government 😑
In Japan, a lot of young people work in a financially unstable position called 非正規雇用, which means a non-permanent position. This has been notorious for paying poorly and giving less social security compared to permanent positions, even sometimes they both essentially do the same job. Basically there's no benefit of this type of position on the employee's side, but many employers have increased the number of non-permanent positions just to cut the employment cost. In such circumstances where lots of young workforces are exploited, low birth rate is clearly inevitable. They have neither money nor time to have a baby.
High demand from women and society standards (you'd rather fulfil her wish unless you want your relation won't last long) and also affected most males turned into herbivore, would rather choose being lonely or weeb rather in relationship, and many things that would make it worse
That's just the reason people are telling themselves and explaining to others, but I don't think that's the real reason.
In the U.S., women with the lowest education level and unstable employment status, such as waitresses, cleaners, etc., tend to have more children, and female white-collar employees with much better financial backgrounds often don't have children, with the latter telling themselves "I can't afford to have children".
If you look at this matter worldwide, people in very poor countries tend to have many, many children, and people in developed countries don't have that many children anymore.
So I think the fact is that people have more enriched lives and more versatile life pursuits than decades ago.
@@salmonoven this isn't the real cause at all
Main reason also Japan suffers from this problem, is because it doesn't allow mass immigration, like the west does. Which can have benefits and negatives.
Also Japanese men have tiny penis .. it is about 1.5 inch so it is not long enough to reach the deep Virginia.
I am from Poland, when me and my sisters were very small, my parents were living with us in one room apartament. I remember that they talked a lot about money and sometimes argued about that. They worked a lot, so then the situation improved. From my perspective, I cannot image having kids in case my financial situation is not good enough. Lack of money has a negative impact on all the life areas.
I'm a Korean and my father is a doctor. But I absolutely have no plan to have children in the future. My parents argued a lot. Also my parents have sacrificed themselves for me and my younger sister.
Jesus .. I'm okay with dating and marriage, but having a child is like walking to hell.
@Jinn Young Kim Imagine your parents decided the same..You would not exist.I bet you love your life and quite happy somewhere sacrificed to give you that gift but you do not want to give it to somewhere else
@@feridemahri6598 Of course. I don't want my child to live with tons of worthless animals.
Do you have children? Well you made a hard decision. I don't want to give
@@feridemahri6598 Why did this motherless youtube delete my comments?
You need to watch the video from cheeky I hate everything.
Damn English guy... England is the real source of evil. I like my English Friends but...
@@feridemahri6598 it's not by force
Having kids are now extremely burdening, financially!
Even on a dual income, it's hard to support them, things like high rent, gas, constant bills, school debt, of course we are unwilling to.
As we get more educated and further develop, we understand that if we want to have kids, we better be financially able to provide for them so that they have a good life.
No one wants to struggle with a kid, especially with the way the world is right now. It's quite unfortunate.
Yeah, and not just in Japan, almost every country is passing through the reduction of the fertility rate. I don't want to have children myself if my country continue staying the way it is and lots of friends and closer people thinks the same. The ones who have babies stop at 1, 2 if they think they can afford it.
Not just money, too much mental and physic stress.
Also I can't watch my children pay taxes to politic animals.
In America half our country has abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. Forcing us to have kids we can't afford and then shaming us for not being able to provide. Burn down the patriarchy!
Last century was the most violent era in humanity, with the atom bomb, biological warfare, Communism. The nuclear family replaced the replacement number family unit that our grandparents endured despite living in that era.
The only special case is Israel, despite being a developed country with a very high GDP per capita (much higher than like France or UK) they have a very high fertility rate of about 2.9💀
I once had a trip to Japan, it surprised me that many people who were over 70 still work. My tour guide was over 75 at that time, but he could still drive for us tourists. It is unbelievable.
They just can't retire, a lot of them even commit suicide.
But they are very good at making robots.
@@samlebon9884 That stereotype is like 30 years out of date.
@@LEWIS1992 nah, they are still the best in terms of making robots, and bullet trains
it’s mortal sin to be unemployed in Japan 😂plane housewives are considered nonproductive when it’s actually them who are behind supporting their successful husbands.and if you happened to be on the news,your name,age,looks and occupation will be mentioned.it’ll be an embarrassment if you are unemployed because the media will not hesitate say your occupation is unemployed,which is embarrassing to the Japanese
Can't afford to buy a home, can't afford an education, can't afford to have children.
Stop lying.
@@NovemberTheHacker you are insane
In the future, price walls will determine who lives and who dies.
@Bon Goaie Stop clickbait ! This video link has completely different content !
Prolly a jail
I’m from the Uk and honestly it’s the same here to. The cost of living keeps going up. People are focusing on themselves.
It would be foolish to bring another life into this.
eu/us/uk/au/ca/nz/sk/jp/taiwan all have declining birth rates once they reached 1st world status. Meanwhile the rest of the world is multiplying in the millions what is happening
@@mishaa7263 Most of africa, some middle eastern countries and some asian countries are going through a baby boom even though their TFR are generally trending downwards. We'd actually be experiencing worldwide population decline if not for these regions reproducing too much. These countries have poor education, are generally less industrialised (people in rural areas are more likely to reproduce than people in major cities).
why do we send our child to suffer in this ugliest world.
Most people know about the bad social support for mothers and young children, in terms of maternity leave and life/work balance.
But what most people might not know, is that having baby in Japan is super expensive.
Insurance does not cover any hospital expenses, as “pregnancy is not a disease” - quote from nurse. You get some discount coupons from government but it just so inconvenient as a pregnant woman has to carry a book of coupons to every appointment. After birth you get a lump sum from government, but that covers about 60-70% of basic expenses of hospital stay, so the rest you need to pay out of pocket. If you want epidural, need to find special hospital and pay extra for that. Also Japanese hospitals do not cover any test on things like Down syndrome, so you have to pay $500-$2000 out of pocket depending on the clinic. Myself and my husband have average Japanese salaries and cost of having baby are terrifying, so I have no idea how people with lower salaries can afford it.
On top of that there is so little attention from staff to the pregnant women, when I go to my appointments it feels like I am just troubling nurses and doctor, while in Europe they give more attention to pregnant women than other patients, plus everything is free there.
I thought medical care in Japan was free?
Maternity leave in Japan is one of the longest in world. Not sure about the accuracy of the rest of your comment but im honesty doubtful.
@@trainv7612 Do you live in Japan? If so, can you please let us know how long maternity leave is there? Because my Google search brought up "6 weeks prior to the expected birth date to 8 weeks after giving birth", which I'd hardly class that as one of the longest terms of maternity leave in the world (compared to certain parts of Europe and the UK). For example, maternity leave in:
Luxembourg = 20 weeks (plus 6 months parental leave for both parents)
UK = 52 weeks (although your maternity pay decreases as time goes by until you receive no pay during the final few months if you opt for a year)
@@sensimania im American and here we have no maternity or paternity leave. I just looked it up, in Japan paid childcare leave for fathers is about 30 weeks which is the highest in the world, for mothers it’s slightly higher and is 16th highest in world, higher than Canada, Denmark, Luxemborg, Netherlands, and Switzerland, to give some examples.
@@trainv7612 I live in Japan and what she saying is true. But she forgot to mention that every medical fee of the children is free of charge until 15 years old. Including surgeries, pills, tests etc. My kid only paid like 30 dollars total for a huge surgery.
As a japanese woman I can say that women are much more expected to do household works than men including raising kids despite many wives have their jobs same as husbands do nowadays in Japan. For example my mother had never taught my older brother how to cook miso soup nor let him do the laundry in our childhood. She is not a bad person but its just a Japanese culture.
On the other hand usually husbands are expected to earn higher salary, and because many Japanese still tend to think long time work as contribution and enthusiasm to the job, husbands cannot leave office very early every day.
It is ridiculous and younger Japanese already noticed that, but it is hard to change older generation especially older men, the most powerful ones like politicians and company managers.
So it is very natural that Japanese women don't want many kids as they are exausted between household, raising kids and job.
In the Philippines it's similar minus the low birth rate. Women are still expected to do most of the chores despite having jobs while husbands are expected to earn more. My father earns about 5 times as my mother but during the pandemic his job slowed down and he had reflected upon himself that he should do more chores. I do think this social gender inequality will be fixed as newer generations are educated better at this matter.
@@Dongzzzzzz It won’t be fixed because that how life is supposed to be.
The _obligation to respect seniority_ is hindering young and open minded people to steer the country out of this "abyss".
Same thing is for Indian working women (who involved in corporate jobs, school teacher and govt jobs preferred for women).I was STME students so I did my engineering In computer science and worked for many corporate companies during my whole 20's.Started working at 22 and now I m 30.what I find that after working 10-12 hrs and most Indian transportation took 1.5-2 hrs in metro city in a day.Then you have household work.Its a luxury for me that I have help for cleaning. The point is it's extremely hard for someone like me to have a child. In my first company management used to made junior ppl work in weekend also.
@@fajartiyarabdulmajid7807 nah keep your shitty attitude to your own country
I don't know why they always mention Japan as a country with few babies. It is true that the Japanese population is decreasing, but many countries in Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Finland, etc), Asia (South Korea, Singapore, even Thailand, etc) or North America have similar or even lower fertility rates than Japan's, migration factor considered. I don't know why there is such a fascination with this issue in Japan specifically, it's just a worldwide trend.
because unlike other countries with the same problem , japan doesnt have many people that emigrate there.
so there is no replacemant for the decrease birth rate, unlike in the EU for example
not about fertility--about procreation numbers
@@ilyapiven2219 immigration only makes it worse. It ends up with the native population being bred out over time. That's catastrophic. The japanese are wise to keep immigration low but they do need to increase their own birth rates
@@TrueNativeScot Is it catastrophic? It may surprise you, but ancient Rome underwent innumerable significant demographic changes in the Republic alone, and it appears to have only become stronger in the process.
It's almost like society and culture is more than the product of nucleotides in sequence...
@@emlmm88 Its still genocide no matter whether you claim its natural or not and we are letting it happen unfortunately.
I’m a university student in Japan
In Japan, 50 percent of students get a scholarship, but it’s not as same as one in other countries. You have to pay back to government after graduating even if you’re at a national university.
I have two brother, and both are students too.
My parents are working hard because there is no support from government.
you have to pay for all the things by yourself when you have a kid
Japanese government takes good care of just elderly people
It’s crystal clear how this happened
I don’t want to raise a child in Japan
So will young Japanese just migrate to other countries or just self extinct themselves?
Uh you're supposed to work and have a job. What do you mean there is no support from the government? You don't need it. You're in university, an adult. In America at least, most University students pay their own tuition, rent, food.., etc. Some even work jobs while studying.
I don't get what you're complaining about.
@@liquiditywso9808That mentality is part of the problem
@@liquiditywso9808That's not his point. Education is basic human rights, which is supposed to be free because government takes care of it. However, from his story, it is clear that both parents work hard not just to feed their children, but also to pay for education. This means parents don't have much time to take care of family after work, because their life is only work work work to pay their children fees.
And you comparing to America is nonsense. Work culture in America is different from Japan where Japan wants you to dedicate your life for company, not for family. Maybe in America, you can get home at 5 pm, but in Japan, it could be extended until 10 pm due to high demand from co-workers where you can't leave until the boss leave. That's why many people is Karoshi(death from overwork)
It is you who are completely unaware of situation in Japan, since you are not Japanese.
Almost every systems in Japan (welfares, educations, corporation structures) excessively prioritize seniors and exploit youths. That's why youths in Japan often have very low self compassion, and their suicide rate is heightening. What's sad is most of the elderly powerful politicians don't give a damn in order to defend their own vested interests. Thus the average age of the whole population is now about to reach 50.
Do you think the suicide rates may be due to high cultural expectations on duty and personal responsibility within Japanese culture? A high degree of duty to others can be a blessing and a curse. A desperate need to please and stick to rules produces order but if you are having trouble and constantly failing to meet those high standards the personal shame must be incredibly high.
Sickening- I have so much respect, admiration and love for the Japanese people and culture-
Wow.
no worry we Indian had alot of people we can give Japan some
They working to much.
I'm not japanese but starting a family implies having your life together and meeting certain requirements, but these days i don't even know what i'm doing , starting a family is no way near my horizon , it's not like back in the day when people were like "lets get married and have kids first then we'll figure out everything else later" , these days i feel like it's the opposite, people want to have their life together first then worry about starting a family
I agree with you. Having kids is such a huge responsibility, there's no way I'd want to have them unless I was sure I could provide for them.
@@juliawidmaier5334 yeah and life doesn't guarantee you either that you'll be able to provide for them on the long run, it's kind of a gamble cause you just have to do it then hope everything works out somehow
and meeting a suitable partner that itself is a complicated thing, maintaining a relationship is no easy task either
This right here is so true!
Yeah maybe that is because people care a lot more in general about giving kids a good childhood in than compared to the past. I think the main reason though is that, atleast in some countries, you could pay for a lot more with the same job, and possibly raise a family on 1 income comfortably
How does starting a family implied your life is together lol
News Flash: The dwindling birth rate is not just affecting Japan.
*mostly. You should know average age of Japanese population is above 55 yrs, in many countries that's higher than the life expectancy.
*mostly. You should know average age of Japanese population is above 55 yrs, in many countries that's higher than the life expectancy.
The birth rate.
•N-Korea: They say 1.89
•Thailand: 1.4
•Japan: 1.34
•China: 1.2
•Singapore: 1.14
•Taiwan: 1.05
•Hong Kong: 0.98
•S-Korea: 0.81
ㅋㅋㅋ they say.. 😅
they probablely do not know!
Japan is not really bad.
we will extinct first!
Average age of population in Japan is over 55 yrs for a reason.
I’m a japanese high school student.
As one of the citizens in Japan, I feel Japan is in bad mood now. There is little hope to live happy and healthy lives.
I can’t explain what the bad mood is like accurately because Im under the support of parents. I haven’t experience the actual circumstances.
However, Im sure if this circumstances continues, Japan will gets more dark definitely.
Now we japanese are proceeding towards dangerous ocean though, the next generation involves me should change this direction to hope.
I’m sorry if there is grammar mistakes in this message.
For those in Europe, Oceania and North America, there’s a lot to admire about Japan, but I think these recent years have shown the cracks and follies of Japanese society. This might be a massive generalization, but I find what fundamentally separates Japanese society from the rest of the developed world is a greater acceptance to the status quo. Japanese people have shown themselves to be remarkably industrious and innovative, but specifically in terms of technology and capital. What Japan tends to lack is a drive towards social innovation. This can lead to a more peaceful, rational, and cooperative society, but when crises hit, as they are now, Japanese people hesitate to act. I don’t think the problems facing Japan are insurmountable, but I worry that the Japanese people will fail to address the mounting social crises in society fast enough, that they will fail to demand change and advocate for reform. What is clear is that Japanese society is changing, but depending on how Japanese people and their leaders react they will either weather the storm, or drown amidst its might. I hope my thoughts came across clearly. Best wishes from Canada 🇨🇦
@@lif6737 I appreciate for your comment. There were parts that I managed to understand, but I can feel your thought well. To make innovations is not easy although, I will continue to try hard to be a cell of better world maker.
Yes always hope!! If the youth can see what is wrong things will be done hopefully!
Maybe you should start by not choosing inefficient old men in the cabinet.
The Japanese average salary hasn’t increased in the past 20 years or so, but the cost of living has been. As a young Japanese living & working in Tokyo, if I were to make enough money to have a child is to work for foreign-owned companies - which pay about 1.5-2x or more than what you’d get paid in Japanese companies; this option is only given to those who can speak English. Even then, many managers of these companies will still adopt the Japanese work style, which will make it difficult for many people to have spare time to raise a child. Also, we are required to pay pension fees regardless of what we make per year, and quite a big portion of our income gets deducted. The irony is t's not even guaranteed that we will be paid pension funds when we become older; we are paying for security for the retired lives of people we don't even know.
Hi .. I think Japan is highly advanced economy .. from what I hear . Is it that much expensive and tht much bad in providing maternity leaves and expenses and culture at work force .. from what I saw in my country other than maternity leave ..my team lead gaves less work when they got pregnant so they can take rest
Sad. Uh that's inhuman. Entire world should have ONE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM funded by UN.
The un isn’t perfect either
@@nomus1172 UN is only catering to the whites. ☹️
@@missplainjane3905 not developed
7 good culture but not for living or working.
They work hard but they don't use their brain.
I’m Japanese and I can afford kids without any problems for sure, but I would like to use the rest of my time for not raising kids but to enjoy so many other great things in this world. I know it sounds terrible, but honesty, more time and money for myself. I work remotely for an American company. It’s just more fun not raising kids.
@Detective Conan I don’t care about small things like that. It doesn’t really matter to carry on your descendants or not. It’s not like everything lasts forever.
Agree
Because if you are well off or not, it all boils down to your self fulfilment either you want it or not. Marriage is not a need. Well that's really our saying we believe in, slaves of money. Even you have everything in the world if you feel unfulfilled you will really find ways to find your happiness elsewhere, on the other side, you have to have a stable job with huge 👌and this is not just about Japan. Other countries are suffering from overpopulation and unemployment.
I wouldn’t say its a problem for birth rates to drop a little, due to overpopulation. What i don’t like is the fact that, in well-developed countries it happens due to stress and endocrine disrupters, whereas in poor countries the birth rate is ginormous despite people being unable to afford it. It creates a bad balance.
To be fair, the children that people have in poor countries have a negligable environmental impact compared to those of richer countries. Also poorer countries need more people to build up their infrastructure, so it's not really a bad thing that they have higher births per person on average.
Lack of education on family planning and birth control/sex education, as well as traditional/religious beliefs on having a family are the main reasons why poorer countries have families with many children.
@@emlmm88 Why are you so worried about the earth over humanity? Its so weird to me. Poor countries need children to build infrastructure? You realise the chinese are building most of the infrastructure in Africa and not even giving them jobs. There's lots of starving people so increasing the population is only going to make that problem worse since a lot of these nations have corrupt governments.
People are expected to work long hours, for bad pay. No one can afford to have kids.
I have a Japanese friend who I met when she was an exchange student. She didn't had kids because it's too expensive.
And that is the problem here in the US too, as well as China. The rich squeeze everything they can out of us, and pay a pittance for our labor. It's only going to get worse from here.
The UK has a child limit law meaning you can have 2 kids at one time
@@cliffsofmoher4220 I believe it’s applied to welfare benefits for the 1st 2 children.
@@janmay7961 yes it's welfare benifits and loom how better it is less kids means more houses available and pay less rent and cheap houses. If we need labour just import them from Africa or India besides the earth is overpopulateing anyway so its better to bring in farm labour from India then make them
Okay but that last part isnt even true for the US. The US is having less kids because women have been going into professions and higher education more than ever before, not because they arent getting paid well LMFAO. China its the same as japan in a lot of ways but that country is just fucked. Japan is a mixture of the toxic dynamic that exists in parenting, which then flows downstream into how men and women interact with one another. I imagine its pretty lonely as a guy in japan if you dont have family lol
Eventually it will be the only rich having kids, not a bad world really. Hopefully they can keep the population afloat.
All the Japan-specific comments ignore one fact: fertility rates and the number of children being born is in general decline in most advanced economies and in some developing economies. The BBC itself has given attention to the generality of this pattern. It is found in even the most gender-equal welfare states in Northern Europe.
It is found *most especially* in the most gender-equal welfare states in Europe.
simple reason: living space costs, salary jobs are time based -> nobody has unlimited amount of time in day regardless of salary. Parenting cannot be outsourced, not fully.
@@JK-br1mu actually in nordics well educated, job security women and families have kids and have much more than poorer, less economic status or gig worker poor stability status people. In other words , the richer you are, (also in time), the more likely are to have many kids.
@@effexon While it is likely true that people with job security are more likely to have kids, the declining birth rate in the nordics is quite similar to Japan's. The average fertility rate in the nordics is about 1.7 children per woman, which is not too far off from Japan's 1.36 and it has been steadily declining as well. The richer and more educated you are in the nordics also decreases the quantity and chance that you will have kids. I think that the pressures that cause this are somewhat different from Japan, but they do share some similarities. One example is the significant push for women (and men) to not prioritize family, leading to attempts at having children only being done much later in life, when fertility problems arise.
@@effexon yah, they have a lot of kids in Nordic countries, like for example the 1.35 births per woman in Finland. Whewww, getting up there. I just looked up Japan's for the same year and it was 1.36.
I don't live in Japan, so I don't know how the situation is over there, but personally I can relate to them for not wanting kids. I love kids, but the burden to raise them in this economy is too much. Also, even if we're financially stable, who would wanna bring children into this messed up world?
It's true more than ever that people are wondering why they should bring children into a collapsing world. Climate change, plagues, wars... it's all become very real.
Consider that we could need children to repair it.
@@rirabienkirira8780 you need my child to repair this rotte world?
yeah, no. I'm not gonna let my child become a hero with tragic/brutal experience saving randoms for the sake of randoms.
@@luce9264 It's rotten due to good people not having enough childs basically.
Why are you so nihlistic? Why are you here if you think humans are some cancerous burden on the earth.
I'm an online ESL tutor to mostly adult Japanese students. Based on self-introductions, the norm appears to be zero to two children per family. One time, a student shared that he has four children, but the third and fourth are actually twins.
That said I actually think one of the biggest reasons that no one mentions is HOUSING prices. A large part of most people’s income now goes on a mortgage/ rent this did NOT use to be the case.
Housing in Japan per square meter might be high in some places, but the houses/apartments are also smaller.
The overall price for rent is relatively tamed actually.
@Not Convinced
Have you been to Japan?! Feminism is not a issue.
@@porcorosso4330 but how about buying property? I presume like in most nations a lot of it is held by the older population when housing prices were cheaper. I suspect when they want to settle down and have children (especially the amount needed for replacement level) they will need a larger space.
@@RedDevilStudio we need total control of human population, resources are limited. unless we start space exploration we will die fighting each other for water before realizing its just stupod
@Not Convinced me when i’m stupid
Economic insecurity is the reason. I heard 1/3 of the workforce is in unsteady employment. That’s not really a stable financial foundation for family planning.
Truthua-cam.com/video/7CVX3veExNo/v-deo.html ,,
Same as other Asian countries
My Best wishes for your work Love and Peace to your family !
Thank You Very Much and wish will hear soon from you
Thank You Very Much , my gratitude !
as a working mom in Japan myself I can second this. my husband helps a lot around the house but even that having kids while working is so hard especially I don’t have family nearby to lend a hand. one kid is enough. I would love to have more but I’m not sure I can manage it
It is a bit unfair to family to look after you kids, they want free time too and some are not into kids
@@jacwindsor5552 I mean they don't have to take care of kids but atleast they can help out a bit
@@jacwindsor5552 what a sad mentality. In most Asian societies, strong family ties is common and taking care of each other is not seen as a burden. for sure, there are the outliers of people who are abusers of such culture and are actually burdensome but for most asians, looking after family is a thing.
@@jacwindsor5552 Have you heard of a support system? obviously I don’t mean for them to take care of my kid all the time. I pay nursery for that. help out from time to time is something I would do for my family too if they live nearby
@@jacwindsor5552 everyone else missing the point but at the end of the day older people should enjoy their retirement. Not be babysitting because of irresponsible parents
Thank you for the video
I’m a Childfree Nigerian guy. This is a problem I wish we had in Africa. Underpopulation in rich country is better than overpopulation in poor country.
It is said that the less educated and less goal orientated a person is, the more likely they are to have many children. People that are ambitious wait until later or have only a few. People with nothing to do have children and early or lots of them
@@gailainsley6939 Lol u are implying poor Africans in villages have easy lives and they have nothing to do, that's why they have lots of kids.
@@Sebanoe i think he's implying they are less educated than developed countries
@@keertanmanu8126 countries were birth control isnt as wide spread, too…
No, you are dead wrong. underpopulation is BAD. We won’t have the money to sustain the elderly. We won’t have the manpower to care for them, either. We won’t have enough educated people for all the open job positions, slowing down economy even further. It’s a HUGE problem.
For some reason I find it interesting, or rather that I am left wondering, as to why it seems like the only reason why people are worried about low or falling children's population or birthrate is because of potential labor shortages. It's as if we're supposed to look at it in a business owner's (or dare I even say corporation's) point of view.
I see it more in this manner - the infrastructure in place that serves the population will always need a lot of people to make sure it runs. But as the population grows older with a falling birthrate, eventually there will be less and less people making sure the infrastructure runs - in the end, it fails along with what's left of the population.
THIS.
"Your birthrate is low! Quick! Replace yourselves with foreigners from god knows where so our corporations are happy! Would someone please think of the corporations! We must keep the GPD line going up at whatever cost!"
EXACTLY!
i mean i thought there would be some sort of concern as low birth rates would generally equalise to less japanese people around in the next generation or so there would have been despair about what would happen to their culture, tradition, etc. but its just all about economy :/
@@JeiBurke Yeah, it's dehumanising.
I was thinking the same thing other day. We are fighting for resources and complaining about low birth rate at the same time.
When you yourself can't afford a good life, how can you bring another life into the world. Being a parents is a lifetime responsibility, because you cannot not stop worrying about them and that emotional responsibility gonna be a part of your whole life.
The government could easily make a dent in this issue by offering cheap/free child care options. And that would create more jobs too in the daycare field
I'm an American woman, now retired. I had 3 children and worked full-time. My ex-husband spent less than even 41 minutes a day with domestic issues. More like zero. When he got home he'd consider it his time off. Period. He also spent a lot of his work traveling, leaving me with no other adult available. I had to get help from the older child in order to function. His brother (same parents) was the opposite, he'd help his wife and parents a great deal. I don't know what the dynamics were that created the difference. If I were able to predict this dynamic I wouldn't have married or had children honestly. I wasted a lot of time being married to him.
And yet you were brave to make 3 babies with that situation…. I would make 1 and stop after realizing how much effort husband is into helping.
Sounds like sour grapes honey
@@jackmak2980 Sour Grapes? that doesn't make much sense.
@@sawahtb I can understand your regret about meeting him... but you regret the kids too? Damn, that’s cold.
@@indiasupportstrumpwwg1wga927 I have some understanding of why some women are just saying no, that's all I really am saying. When you see your mother's as slaves you question the wisdom of it. Oh, and by the way, Trump supporters are idiots.
I feel like y’all need to report on other countries with this birth problem as well. Everyone seems to target Japan about this when they’re going through the same thing!
yeah apperently, South Korea's fertility rate is at 0.84 baby per Koroean Women in 2021. Whih is much worse than Japan
Singapore also have this problem
I just saw one on Spain yesterday
@@nonestanimamea9099 and Italy
because Japan is not so open to immigration (compared to western nations) and their decline is faster. also Korea has a similar problem.
"Once a society starts to have less children they don't tend to go back to having more," It sounds like you're looking at this phenomenon in isolation. Meanwhile, the economy hasn't balanced back to paying people well enough that they can afford kids, even if they would like them.
One reason could be the advancement of education and accessibility of information, too. People in developed and advanced economies may have better access to education and/or resources. And as we live in the information age, it is easier to educate yourself through technology and make more informed choices. Because of this, people may come to more educated and rational decisions about the nature of having children and the world these children are likely to exist in. People with a higher level of education or access to information/resources like the internet and modern healthcare are more likely to consider other alternative lifestyle choices beyond reproduction and survival. Also, they can reflect on the state of the world at large more readily. Of course, there are several reasons for this, but it all boils down to people being allowed to make smarter decisions for the first time in a heavily capitalised world.
Everyone here focused on money. But also having kids is also a time issue, where parents don't get freedom of time to do anything for themselves. Kids are difficult and an educated person who wants to have kids but also want to be able to provide best for the kids and at same time to have ability to still enjoy their own lives like how it was for them before kids, sometimes can't find that compromise. Thus better to just not have kids period. Most ppl dont know the problems and issues of kids until they have kids. And with bad upbringing from poorly educated, poor, or plain bad parents you get bad kids who grow up to be bad ppl in society.
They kill thier children. Period.
Poor people have kids all the time. It's not money that make kids bad. It's lack of discipline and guidance that make children bad. A rich child can do just as much harm without dicipline and proper guidance.
Generally, college educated parents have a higher chance of raising their kids well. Wanting to have time for oneself is still very possible with children if you have the right partner and support system.
I am a college educated mom. Having kid in US with a decent career is a struggle. The moment I have my son, I know I cannot be aggressive in my career anymore due to time limitations. After full time job, I go to another full time job at home. I still work some night depending on if my son feel I deserve some sleep after full day exhaustion. When kid start school, their school schedule also tough to fit working parents. I often feel like a slave. Statistically say each family need to make 2 babies to keep up the population, no thanks. Probably more fitting for stay at home mom with the love of children to make babies like that. But then who can support 2 kids+ with one income in US? Probably end up getting government assistance to make that happens.
@@annat6249 totally resonate with you. Likewise my wife and I are both college educated even with masters and hold top tier jobs and high positions. But after we had our first kid we had to dial back, mostly taking back our carefree life style of going out with friends and dining out. And later turned out our son is super allergic to tree nuts. So the first 2 years was hellish. Then 3rd year we had everything under control and thought what the hell, maybe another kid would be nice, just 2 kids. Boy was that a bad decision. I mean sure it is also great now we have a wonderful girl but 2 kids, even more work, so much more. And once again unfortunate fate, she also has allergies, to egg and milk. Meanwhile neither of us have any allergies. And career wise i had to pass up or miss multiple high profile positions because i had to have a more flexible position to deal with kids and likewise for my wife who had to downgrade her job to be flexible. Because while companies talk and advertise work life or kid balance they dont really offer it in reality, as the worker is pressure to perform. So yeah now with a 6 and 2 year old, our lives are kinda both miserable and wonderful depends on which day of week you look at. But honestly for me, if I had to go back I would either not have kids or just 1, but my wife would yell at me. Also from financial standpoint best is dual income with no kids.
The divide between rich and poor is forever on the rise, and the vast majority of couples are realising that they may not being able to afford to have children. I also think times are changing, and people are just wanting to enjoy their own lives without having the stress of bringing child into the world, and caring for him/her. Also, and this is from my own personal experience, as I myself have decided I do not want to bring a child into this world, into this unnatural, man made society. A society filled with anxiety, depression, and control. And I think alot of people are thinking the same now.
Thank You Very Much and wish will hear soon from you
As a teacher, I see so many needy, abused children. I can't imagine having a child of my own to get lost in this crowd. No matter if I might be a good parent, there is no win against a bad society.
well if everyone has a mind like you did well interaccial marriage is good due to 1st world man to 3rd world women so the cost to have a kid not so expensive ,in example white American man marriend Congo woman ,
@@others3101 In the quiet words of the virgin Mary.... come again?
@@stephenorourke9896 yes
Good summary, highlighting all factors that lead to low birthrates. one additional, major factor she forgot to mention: *High urbanisation rates* are another factor that correlates with low birth rates. People in large cities tend to have fewer children than people on the countryside. Rasing a child in a Mega City ist unbelievably expensive and demanding, anywhere in the world.
And East Asian countries have very high urbanization rates in general (SK JP, SGP, TW)
Urbanization and industrialization lower birth rates faster than anything else.
South Korea: That's cute
*Total fertility rate of South Korea at 2021: 0.81- according to Statistics Korea
While this issue has many parts, I haven't seen this one mentioned; my 7 years in Japan (half as a mother of small children) taught me that many Japanese mothers thought it was important to try and put a lot of time between births. Many of my friends thought 5 years was best, so that you could give full attention to each baby. The problem is, you then have 4 years with a toddler who can't play by themselves- mommy has to be right there 'playing' with them. Then, when the kid goes off to school, the mother really doesn't want to do that again! So, they stop at one child. When they thought I was crazy because mine were 18 months apart, they were jealous when they realized mine played together, giving me time to myself.
@@missplainjane3905 bro really asked an entire test 😐
@@missplainjane3905 As a dude who lived in Japan for 5 years:
1.) Yes.
2.) 8. Advanced technologically, poor in work ethics (exploiting workers, low basic pay, and people doesn't give a hoot about others and only focus on themselves)
3.) Most japanese are polite and easy to talk with. Some are aloof and couldn't care less about others. These groups have money problems due to japans poor working conditions and low pay.
4.) Lots of earthquake, good scenery and clean surrounding, generally polite people, overworked people, tired people.
thanks for sharing ❤
That makes sense
@@missplainjane3905 I'm not that fluent anymore with japanese, as I only worked in the ocean, catching fish. The only words I remember are basic japanese words, as my boss speaks broken english. I do not live in Japan anymore and have returned to Brazil due to covid.
Regarding the cons, it's not so bad, as long as you pick your Japanese friends and the people you interact with. Japanese people, as far as in my experience, will not open up easily to people unless they see you are sincere. So, be sincere and open and truthful when speaking with them and you will have japanese friends. I also bribe them with fruits, cakes and tea which they like a lot. KFC during christmas as a gift they would also love.
Just be respectful of the rules and traditions in japan and you will have not have any problem whatsoever. I would like to return to japan, not as a worker but as a tourist in the future. Japan, overall, is a good place to live in IF your a businessman and wealthy and doesn't necessarily want to work there. So, if you have a business, try expanding to japan, but it would be very costly.
Life in Brazil as a fisherman is hard and backbreaking, but the good thing is, I have a house here and farmland (thanks to japan), so I'm self sufficient. I just added small pool and airconditioning, and life is 100x times much better. Very hot in Brazil, whew. I don't work in sea anymore, just sell my farm produce in market.
In Japan, working in the sea is the same, hard and long but pay is good and worth it.
For me, Japan is a place good to live for a little while, perhaps a month, then return to your country and visit again after six months or a year.
Why a month? Explore the nature, see the technological marvels Japan offers. Other than that, Japan has little to offer. People are overworked, tired, making them aloof, self centered and wary of foreigners.
If you visit Japan, visiting nature parks and cherry blossoms and parades and festivals is the best. Then go to the tech centers and be amazed. Go to the night life and enjoy parties and food. You can also attend kabuki and tea ceremony and historical battles.
My wish to japan is for it's government to be socialists, because, being a socialist is good, people are paid fairly for their work.
Used to take a village to raise a child, now we have just the parents, I was born in Nigeria and even though my parents were kinda poor, I mean I grew up in a one bedroom apartment with 8 people in it, my parents never really had to raise me and my sisters by themselves cause we had family, neighbors etc. I’ve lived in the US since I was a teenager, I have a great job, a great career, more money than anyone in the history of my family has ever had and yet I can’t get myself to wanna have kids. All my cousins in Nigeria have kids, I’m only 30 btw lol. There are a couple factors here, I think a combination of rugged individualism and the belief that the nuclear family trumps all means having kids is just too much of a burden. I mean the American dream is a single family home in the suburbs. Who the hell wants to raise kids all by themselves, it requires too much of a sacrifice and I’m guessing the Japanese have a similar-ish culture combined with even more unstable financial situation for younger people.
When you have sex without a condom, you shouldn't expect anyone else to take care of your drunk mistake.
Seek God fr
children are a huge liability and expense, whether you are poor or rich. they are mostly the product of horny men who can't or won't pull out. I for one never wanted kids (I am 45 male today) and loved living life so far. 100% peaceful, no BULLSHIT child support or man hating court system giving custody to some woman who hates me blah blah blah. my life is awesome and just for me and my hobbies which happens to be my BMW M3 - the competition btw, ;) - but really, a child is a huge headache. buy me this, bring me that, doctor appointments, nonsense social media bullying, what a nightmare!
I mean growing up with a large family always sounds nice. I like invidualism actually. I think individualism grows even stronger when you get to seek advice, share stories and have a bond with other family members. Like you said neighbors and family member helping to raise a child. A good community can help you so much. It's risky too. I actually grew up with my father's side cousins and when I was young my teen cousin tried to touch me inappropriately many times. And when I told my mom she told me to not tell anyone to keep peace. I'm not saying this will happen in every large family or that large family's are bad. Just that in that kind of space conflicts will happen. And so building good communication with family members is important.
and not all family members want to look after the kid, they want free time too
Very appreciative report...
I think in korea the situation is worse
I’ve been living and working full time in Japan for almost a decade. I want children so badly. But between having very little time off the clock and my ‘average’ salary barely covering everything that it needs to, children are very quickly becoming a pipe dream. It’s depressing to know that so many people share the same situation.
That is so messed up. Having to give up one of the most basic needs that humans have, having kids and building a family, for a job. Unbelievable.
You are not alone. I'm facing the same issue in the UK. I have an existential crisis nearly daily about this.
It's sad that ur sort of being denied a chance at growing ur family even if u feel ready
I can’t imagine living in Japan and dealing with this. I’m American and have been ready for kids since I graduated college. I have no debt, few expenses, make an average salary and still don’t see myself being able to afford a child friendly living space until I’m at least late 20’s to early 30’s, assuming I can either find someone to marry or have the means to become a single parent by choice.
If you aren't Japanese, get out of Japan before your biological clock runs out. There are places in the world that DO work out with having children.
This is happening a lot for the younger generation of America. Many people desire a comfortable life without having to worry about children.
'Self love' destroyed the family.
@@MarroniMusic You're free to have as many children as you want. I don't enjoy being around kids. I am happy for people that have kids and I hope that they'll raise their kids well, but personally I don't want any.
@@yuuya2111 ok
You sure we're talking about the same America? Where 18 year olds already have 2 kids?
@@yuuya2111 this is exactly the problem with the west. You only think about your own enjoyment. How about you think about your country?
Fascinating.
-They have a corporate culture of long working hours, both for men and women
-Space is at a premium and having a room for kids forces you to find housing very far from work
-There are only very few nursery that will take your kids past 5:00 pm
-There are only very few child support for parents as mothers are expected to quit their job
-A single income makes it very difficult to have families with several kids
-Young people, like all over the world, are offered very few stable jobs which do not help
-Any activity for your kids is expensive and very few are subsidized by the authorities.
-Most restaurants refuse children as they are considered a nuisance to other paying customers.
That's on the top of my head some of the main difficulties, without mentioning a commercial culture that encourages individualism for as long as they can extract money from people making the notion of couple not the main one.
A Japanese economist had a very good solution to help curb this self inflicted suicide: tax corporations more if they don't have a certain quota of married people. The argument is that as these big companies extract productivity from singles until a very late age at the expense of making children, they should support those couples who take the challenge to fight an uphill battle to actually build families.
Having children in Japan is not easy. Everything has been built around companies and their economic interest. Having kids was secondary thought.
Lack of good paying jobs, crazy housing costs, work hours, lack of child care...so many factors that need to change!
And probably never will , unfortunately .
@Not Convinced The myth that women could have it all is now finally coming home to roost. For most women on average wages externally sourced childcare is too expensive. Most women I worked with at junior levels only worked to keep continuity in their employment for the future prospects it might bring. Many were losing money by coming into work full-time by the time they paid for childcare. Other clever ones managed to get shift work opposite their husbands shifts so that external childcare could be reduced or eliminated. Collectivist childcare has been the norm for many working class and rural families for decades and has been the norm in rural Ireland for centuries where multigenerational family units lived together or in close proximity to each other. Here it is only in the last 30 years that paid childcare for anyone but the very rich was the norm.
It is so hard
First you need the right partner which is the hardest in my opinion
Second you need money
Third you need a good job and the time
Fourth you need to be not too old
Hypergamy
Even if you cross off the first, second, and third ones, you can't do the fourth one..cuz once you achieve the previous ones, you find yourself being old.. Too much time consumed during your young age lol
@@thecrypto5340 hypergamy is needed. You need to pay for baby formula & rent.
@@learningearning8385 you imply that you dont deserve to be loved if you arent rich? You can be rich right now but there is no guarantee your children or grandchildren will be rich. So you are ok if they arent loved?
@@learningearning8385 that’s right
Pressure on work , culture of dating , expensive cost of living are the reason . That might be practical .
But at the same time a big threat for Japan's future economy.
merci.
I know Japan has some social issues, many younger (maybe older too) can feel isolated. Some due to costs or efficiency live in practically cupboards with internet access. Younger people can be anxious/depressed and even agoraphobic (hikikimori) they feel they can't connect with other people and feel more comfortable by themself. But like in the West, mental health is taboo in Japan, families will want to keep it to themselves which can't necessarily help. As for people that are healthy, it's also Japanese culture to work long hours, quite longer than in the West. And the population is now ageing, changes need to be made so people's mental health can improve. Nobody will want children under such stressful conditions or where they feel alone/depressed.
Please analyze Italy🇮🇹 and Spain🇪🇸 Finland🇫🇮 which have lower birth rates than Japan!
@@user-cf8tg3lk8g Italy's main problem is that a lot of the youth are leaving. The jobs just aren't there. They're going to Germany and other EU countries for better opportunities.
The biggest social issue isn’t birth rates; it’s that they are too racist to let in outsiders in big numbers. Pathetic- they would rather the country die out that share the wealth with people who want to join them
For similar reasons that we’re seeing crop up in the West:
- Cost of living is high
- Cost of raising a child is higher still
- Cultural overemphasis telling men - and women especially - that a career is more important than a family.
In fact, we can boil these three factors down to a commonality: a poor work-life balance. The cost of living is rising so people have to work longer to live on less. Thus, they have less time, money, and (therefore) motivation to live life. Instead, they pour more and more investment and importance into having a career
100% - education has played a factor too
Younger generation don't have money to support wifey and kids.
Over 80% of people are high school graduates, don't make enough money to start a family.
I don't think that Japan is telling women that their career is more important than family, perhaps Tokyo is different but it's certainly not a 'Japan' thing. I think in Japan's case it has more to do with work culture and the fact that it's hard to have a family on only one income.
Yep they should keep it up if you are going to have a child and raise it in poverty might as well bash your head in a wall
Truthua-cam.com/video/7CVX3veExNo/v-deo.html ,,
the government is concerning how to increase the children? noooo.
they are thinking just how they earn tax from citizens 😢
Oh there are worse. South Korea, Tiwan, Singapore,,, Japan birth rate is relatively high in East Asia
I have a question. With automation on the rise and jobs getting replaced by machines, is it really so bad that population is decreasing? Higher population would demand more jobs and in a mechanized world, decreasing jobs will cause people to go to hungry
@Rafał Baranowski lol no its not. You can get food production from machines, you cant get people from machines.
A population at replacement level is pretty adequate
@Rafał Baranowski can't believe you are such an idiot that why we gather resources to make foods with machine but machines just...gather it.
@Rafał Baranowski population decline is good because the humans are overpopulated and destroying the planet. Things will only get better if the population goes down.
Also what’s the point in having kids anyway? The human race is almost done for due to global warming so you’ll basically be putting those kids into a cruel and horrible life.
I think you are correct about it solving the issues of unemployment caused by automation but we are not nearly close to having robots that advanced. And with birth rates this low I fear the result would be a smaller generation tasked with taking care of a bigger older generation. And when they don't have enough children, they also have to be taken care of by a smaller demographic
I am not an expert but if my fears are true this might just result in an ever declining population worldwide. And with companies and governments so short minded we might be out of people before we completely phase them out
@Rafał Baranowski Only if you eat people.
All media do is talk about why women aren't having children. It's not a one person job. Jeez why are reporters all over being so sexist and narrow minded? having children is not simply just on women so stop asking questions implying that it is.
Because women have access to birth control (men can't yet), women can only have kids up till 40 years old tops, and women have to carry the child.
This is beginning to happen in the U.S. as well. My daughters are 24 yo, college graduates, solid careers - both of them are seriously questioning whether they will have children because the world has become so crazy. Not to mention the extreme cost of child care, medical care, and the nutso economy in general.
14.6 million children... I mean that's a lot. How many human beings need to be on this earth? There are more than enough of us already
False, earth can occupy more people.
Even with the gender imbalance at home which the video states, both the U.S. and Japan have negative TFRs. In fact, if you look across the world, almost all countries now have a TFR that is sliding into negative territory. India, which is set to overtake China as the most populous country soon has a TFR of 2.2. This is marginally above the 2.1 births per woman a society needs to stay at the replacement level. The problem though is that if you look at the trend for India's birthrate over the last 40 years, you can see clearly that it has gone from 4.83 births per woman in 1980 to just 2.2 now. This indicates that India will soon also be in negative fertility level territory. It's a global phenomenon that really isn't understood all that well. Blaming the issue on housework and women being in labor roles in the workplace may be a piece of the puzzle but it certainly isn't the whole pie (so to speak).
To illustrate this, India has a trending negative TFR while only having a percentage of women in the workforce at 19%. Contrast that with say, Japan, which has 53% of all women participating in the labor market. Both are on a negative TFR slide, and both have different labor participation rates.
well life is hard...what do you expect..life is no walk in the park.
Well the main reson is
Luxuary
Is getting expensive
So kids want shirt term things rather than long term things
Most people would prefer over a short term i phone rather than a villa for long term
And automation reduced the jobs
The current jobs are very taxing
And people of our generation like put ourselves ahead than any other person
Like live your life for yourself
While it's tempting
It wouldn't help in this situation
And u forgot one fact
When gay and lesbian people population increase
It's a good thing
But also bad
Like how a coin has two faces
Morally it's good
But practically bad
But rich people won't have any issues
There is a reason why robots are now on the rise
The impact is on the below rich and poor people
They will suffer
No medium paying jobs
Big competition
Any woke thing u get is destroying humans at its core but it's okay
Who cares
Good. There are billions more people on this planet than there should be.
Only rats would continue reproducing at replacement value while living on top of one another, facing resource scarcity, collapsing natural ecosystems, and inescapable pollution contaminating our air, water, and soil.
I think you can't really compare the situation between India and Japan .In India since late 90s there has been a campaign for families to have only 2 children as population is increasing so rapidly here that there is not enough resources to fulfill the needs of people. Also men are encouraged to have vasectomy so that their family size is limited. Nowadays people are also educated so they have only 1 or 2 kids . Decreasing growth rate doesn't mean that our population is decreasing and I think it's for the better.
because they're overworked, too tired, too depressed and socially isolated! duh Its like a country of exhausted autistics. Polite, yes, and capable of beautiful and interesting things, but basically just, falling apart from the inside.
Even I as a regular UA-cam video consumer know that Japanese people are overworked and depressed & somehow she missed that! how bizarre
U guys are clowns. She mentions it in the video. How can u miss that in a 3 minute video
Truthua-cam.com/video/7CVX3veExNo/v-deo.html ,,
Truthua-cam.com/video/7CVX3veExNo/v-deo.html ,,i
Thank You Very Much and wish will hear soon from you
Money doesn’t really matter. A lot of people just don't want kids.
Nobody can afford to have children, this isn't that hard to figure out
And why do we need more children? To consume more? To buy more? To work more? It’s so many of us on this planet… maybe not everyone decides to become a parent and it’s okay
Yeah the population issue is honestly about rich people having less workers
@@imxel2193 maybe they will fend for themselves.
A lot of people don't see the big picture. A country with a declining population will face unique challenges just as a country with increasing population does. It's not the end of the world. It's a new beginning, and, probably, in time, one with less pollution, less crowding and a higher quality of life for the general public.
That may be true for a time but what are you going to do when your populatin pyramid is upside down? When senior citizens dramatically outnumber babies and teens how are you planning to keep anything running? Where are your workers/taxpayers coming from?
@@fdm2155 nanomachines son
I see your point, but the key is to understand that this trend is not driven by big picture considerations. It's driven by a disregard for people's lives. And that disregard will ultimately translate to the environment as well.
Please analyze Italy🇮🇹 and Spain🇪🇸 Finland🇫🇮 which have lower birth rates than Japan!
The interesting thing is that it could actually be worse for the environment (at least initially) if you have an overwhelmingly old population. Older generations are more reluctant to do anything to help the environment, so laws and programs will stagnate. Of course, as that older generation dies out, you will have a hopefully more progressive younger generation coming up to take its place, and the country as a whole will have a much lower population, which is of course good for the environment.
notice how when they bring up children they only talk about women as if men aren't also parents who struggle with the same problems
The low birth rate is no bad thing.
When the economy is shrinking , the population also should shrink.
Less people are better when we share the limited benefits.
Sensible.. who would want to bring a child into this neocon mess
@Atheism is the Truth true communism would not have got us where we are now.. it's got to be said
@Atheism is the Truth It's just education and altruism... Instead our world governments deliver ignorance, biggotry and avarice... They need to put me in charge :-)
@Atheism is the Truth 'Whoever controls the media controls the mind' Jim Morrison was probably not tripping when he said that
@Atheism is the Truth It's weird how I can only see one of your perfectly reasonable and valid comments apart from in my notifications! What a crazy world these people have created
@Atheism is the Truth hahahaha have a great evening.. I get the feeling that we are incidental players in the medias great grift.... take care, good chatting to you
First is because it’s expensive to live here in Japan. need to pay lots of taxes, bills, and we always think about money lol that’s why we’re always at work and having a child is just a burden for some. Also I think it’s not just in Japan but a lot of young people are seeing theirselves not having kids at all since it’s just hard trying to live and just thinking about having kids with all that makes it wors
Welcome to the "Dying civilization" club.
can't you live in a car in Japan? no rent, cheap car bills. win win
@@mode7scaling3 expensive parking
@@kyuu9292 I did not realize it had no free street parking at night..maybe you can drive away for an hour or so in a rural area with no rules? like a camping area?
@@kyuu9292 I did not realize it had no free street parking at night..maybe you can drive away for an hour or so in a rural area with no rules? like a camping area?
In India if you are in heavy poverty still you should have minimum 2 children and those children will be in struggle to live.Which is not good to economy and society.
My point is if you are well settled or atleast you believe you can achieve financial freedom in future then only go for a child. Otherwise don't spoil their life.
Cost of living in Japan is nightmare, in Japan parents pay their children’s school fees(from elementary school to university), bad inflation, people work overtime, sh*tty salary…
Wow I can’t tell you all reasons, too many.
We can have children but can’t raise them.
Who would have thought that Japanese work culture would eventually lead to labor shortages? Lmao
国があまり考えてくれないのが悲しい。
Dont give up my friend!!
彼らは重要で重要であるため、このような特定の問題について適切な論理的根拠が必要です
自民もチャイナにこびてる議員ばかりですからね。自国民より明らかに中国中心に留学生やら海外投資家やら海外にばかり目が行っている。国民がもっと声をあげて政治に関心をもたないと足元見られたままだと思います。それが日本の現実ですよね。
Fun fact. That compares to about the same for the UK proportionately. It's not just Japan... Both the UK and Japan have very low fertility rates.
No they don't, Japan's is far lower than the UK's. Fun actual fact.
何で日本の情報が放送されてるの？そんなに気になるかな？
Due to continued deflation, most people work long hours with little income (the average monthly salary hasn't changed for over 20 years!). Therefore, many people do not have suffient time and money to get married or have children. Unlike some decades ago, most parents have to raise their children by themselves because they do not live with/close to their parents or relatives.
I'm a 32-year-old single female employee living in Tokyo. Honestly, my female bosses who are married with children and are in their 40s or 50s, they seem so worn out having to work and raise kids and do house chores. Having to live like that is just unbearable. When a woman has sufficient education and skills, it's much easier to make her own living and spend time with close friends rather than carrying the burden of marriage.
This is an important point in all of this problem. Modern women can talk freely about the snags in having babies and the lack of supports in doing so. Societies in the past often put pressure on young women to have a family and take on the vast bulk of the child rearing work. Now young women can see the older colleagues struggle in trying to handle work and home duties virtually on their own and want none of it.
Also there might be a social trend worldwide to what is known in the US as MGTOW among men. Men going their own way is a backlash against current family law and treatment of male partners in family law cases involving relationship breakdowns etc.
Modern societies tend to make the formation of close family relationships and commitments very difficult to acheive for the average person.
In Ireland it is secure affordable housing that is the main obstacle, in other countries it is lack of secure, sufficiently paid work. Still other countries face huge security and safety issues, drug wars and inter-racial wars in the Americas and eternal civil wars in Africa and the Middle East.
You think too much. Do something u enjoy doing. Relax, chill have an awesome day.
what is dating like at japan at 32? Do the more well off single men prefer younger partners or are they happy with ladies above 30?
@@coveringgrape5251 I seeked for a partner in my late 20s and yeah it seemed there are many many men (both domestically and internationally) who are looking for a younger and more-likely-to-be reproductive woman. Got tired of the male reproduction desire. In Japan they say the birth risk increases from the age of 35. Hopefully life will be a lot easier after 35.
@@jgdooley2003 Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I didn't know about the real estate issue in Ireland. It seems like the lack of security (of different kinds) is prevalent all over the world. I hope that we can all find our own peace of mind😊
I don’t think I will ever be able to afford having kids in the uk that’s why I won’t have any. Rent is £800, electric and gas £200, council tax £160, groceries £600 a month, petrol and car insurance £180 (one car) That’s £1940 a month for two adults, not including other bills like phones, wifi, entertainment subscription etc…I can’t imagine adding a baby to that equation.
600 pounds for groceries is way too much. Almost as much as your rent. And for only two people?
I know that living costs has increased in the UK. However, it is clear that you are not being wise with the cost of groceries. I am only speculating, though.
@@gulletinoaden6268 yeah and that’s shopping in aldi and Lidl not big name supermarkets 🙃
Who would have kids if you can barely even support yourself?
U.S.A. declining birthrate → No problem
Finland declining birthrate → no problem
Italy declining birthrate → No problem
Japan declining birthrate → Japan's society is the problem aaaaaaaaah!
Fertility rates in the above 4 countries are not much different.
Italy is worse than Japan.
And almost all developed countries have fertility problems. The only countries with growing populations are immigrants having lots of children. They are from Muslim and African countries.
This is because the liberal media cannot point to liberals as the cause of the declining birth rate even in the West, where government support is more generous and the work culture more comfortable.
Since the liberal media cannot self-deny the Western value system of liberalism, they vent their frustration by pointing the finger at Eastern country where liberalism is considered less developed.
My Japanese friend said raising a kid in Japan is super expensive
Especially school
Coming to a western country very soon. oh wait!! Its super expensive here as well.
@@MrPurge11 Here, there and everywhere.
I don't think raising children in Japan is super expensive. Some parents choose to spend a lot of money, while others don't.
While fewer humans are arguably great for the planet, it’s terrible for capitalism. Economies can’t grow without labor, and fewer people means shrinking economies. For profits driven multinational corporations, lower profits equates death.
Children are too expensive in the US too. Housing is expensive. Health care is expensive. I don’t need another burden. It comes down to being able to live comfortably and take a few vacations a year vs living stressed to pay tens thousands of dollars a year for a child. I won’t be having kids either.
Why is this comment exclusive to capitalism. This is awful for any economic system.
It will eventually balance out though but it will be tough till then I too have chosen not to have kids it's just too expensive.
In The Growth Illusion, Richard Douthwaite tries to examine the many problems faced by contemporary society in the mid 1990's and why modern economic systems with their focus on growth are fundamentally flawed and unsustainable.
While the book is 30 years old it still makes great reading in that it exposes the big flaw in capitalism and the so-called "free market", the need for uncontrolled growth to keep them functioning.
Only capitalism feeds 10 people more but laments and bellyaches that "profits" only rose for 5, as food prices plummeted but massive riches went to housing bubble and childrearing BUBBLE of the exact same sort.
@@sboinkthelegday3892 Lmao every socialist/communist system will have a pension system that’s heavily dependent on population increasing. We see this in many social democracies around the world rn.
Same phenomenon in China. Childen are burdens for ordinary people in China, who can't afford house and education fees, nor are willing to let offsprings face such fierce domestic compitition just for living.
There is no doubt that Japan's birth rate is low, but it is disconcerting to see Japan as a synonym for low birth rates.
Japan does not have the lowest birth rate in the world, and one can easily find European countries with birth rates comparable to Japan.
European countries allow immigrants so it's not an issue, Japan hates immigrants so their safety net structure is under great strain because their younger people are picking up the bill for the rest
With a population of 130 million in a country not much bigger than the UK what do you expect? The UK is overcrowded with 70 million, just imagine 130 million!
The real kicker is that Japan has a lot of mountains and volcanoes in its interior so that good building land and agricultural land is scarce. Hence the emphasis on seafood in the Japanese diet. Britain also shares a feature in that many of its land areas are almost deserted while most of its cities are very densely populated.
Scotland for example has 90% of its population living on 15% of its land area, the Central Belt between Glasgow and Edinburgh, both its immediate south, the borders and the more famous highlands and islands are very sparsely populated.
I am sure Japan is not the only country in the world where the birth rates have reduced. BBC please find some other content to report on.
日本が一人っ子政策をしてたと勘違いしてるコメントに、一人っ子政策をしてたのは日本でなく中国ですよと英語で書いたらコメントを消された。なぜ？
日本人は移民を望んでいないと英語で返信したら、そのコメントは削除はされてないけど、ログアウトして見てみたら表示されないようになっていた。なぜ？
消さなくちゃいけないほどのコメント？
This is happening everywhere in modernized and industrialized society, and I bet in North Korea too. People at the bottom of all society become poorer in recent decades while the middle class is just struggling for resources. I think the Gini index is increasing globally if one can really do a study. The trend that resources are concentrated on a small portion of the population is an illness caused by the nature of capitalism and global politics. I think it is just a matter of time for this illness to spread in Latin America and Africa. I worked in Japan for some time 10 years ago, I was surprised that a nearly 80 years old man delivered my order by riding a motorbike from Tokyo to Chiba on a rainy morning. I always believe that people should be more aware of politics and support democracy, transparency, and freedom throughout the world, in fact, everybody is burying their heads so deeply into work and struggling in daily life.
Increasing cost of living plus decreasing salaries equals decrease in potential population
What if we focused not on quantity but quality? Sure, we may have less kids, but if we invest in their physical and (especially) mental well being as a community...maybe (combined with advances in robotic technologies for the, say, dirty jobs) it'll work out?
Sadly no. It's about being able to replace the previous generations. Less children means a smaller population than the previous generation. This occurring over many generations is a serious risk to the very existence of whole ethnicities. Children being raised well won't help if the birth rate in below replacement level. Say if people chose to have only one child, then over the course of three generations four people would be replaced with only one.
Because they just want more mediocre labors to pay taxes
I feel like globally there has been a trend that life is actually now harder for younger generations. Housing affordability,gig economy, cost of living. All these things continue to negatively impact on the quality of life, whilst the older generations have been set up for life and haven’t passed on social policy or tax incentives to support the young
子供が欲しい人はいる。
でも、不安定な非正規雇用、正社員でも安月給、逆進性の高い税金、教育費の増大、待機児童問題などなど、上げれば切りがないほどの問題が出産を躊躇わせる。
育児に参加しない男性や、妊娠や子育てに理解のない会社が多いことも問題。
とはいえ何より、貧困が最も大きな問題。
お金があれば選択肢は増える。
Japan is just ahead of a lot of countries. This will happen to every single economy in the world. And the end game would be a global economic stagnation. This will happen because young people tend to do all the innovation and increase economic production.
you are right
No your wrong many Japanese men prefer Anime girls cuz they are bunch of cowards mean while Japanese women cheats alot many married couples end up divorce after having children in Japan.but
When I studied in Japan many adults in Japan act like childesh.Just like my Mom worker friends they are already 40 years old but still talk Childesh and single 😬.
It's true. I really don't understand a lot of comments (including comments by the Japanese) pointing out like ” Only Japanese society is problematic!". There are a lot of nations have/will have the same issue, but they seem to be completely ignorant. I wish these narrow minded and biased people to wake up.
I just hope by then that we have a robotic economy with a universal income but then again I like to be optimistic so I might be completely wrong.
@@NN-wl2oz no Japanese people are on the comment saying it’s only a Japanese problem. Why are you lying? Everyone is mentioning it being a rising issues in almost all countries. People know what’s going on.
Certainly don’t blame anyone deciding not to have children when the future for these new generations is in question…
I hear you. Although I think we can’t think of people as mouths to feed but rather hands to help. And we need all the help we can get.
@@thebigredwagon Be careful. Mouths MUST be fed, is a certainty. Hands to increase helping, is NOT.
@@briana7515 that’s true. Thanks for the correction. I’ll take this on board.
150 Billion underground, a kid costs like $100,000 from 0 to 18 years, prices keep going up, houses, food, gas
Politicians do not read the comment section, but, the ability for families to form and have children while they are still young enough to be able to has been ruined. People are in debt paying off their schooling, people are burdened by expensive rent while trying to save for a down payment for a house. Then they are saddled with a massive mortgage when they own the home. A home used to be 3 or 4 times annual earnings. Now in most cities homes are 10 - 30x annual earnings. The rich have bid up the price of homes, the government has passed laws making it hard to build affordable homes, and the bottom 50% get left behind.
All countries in the West are following this path. Next up to be like Japan is Italy.
It seems like all the best countries have low reproduction rates and all the worst ones have 5 or 6 kids.
This has a very good reason. Thats why overpopulation will never be a problem in this World. When poverty is eliminated birthrates drop
@@melvinjansen2338 Not really. If you ban birth control, the population will go back to normal
Wealthy countries have good healthcare too. Meaning less deaths, especially in youth and higher life expectancies. Those not so wealthy will catch up soon and be in the same boat as all other countries. China for example just hit this stage. This is also not the only reason for all of this, but its likely the biggest
The fact that you distinguish countries in "best" or "worst", along with their "reproduction rate" is xenophobic, when we think which countries it happens...
Did you all know? Philando, the best welfare state in the world, has a lower birth rate than Japan.
Simply, when women and men are educated, they have other pleasures than having children.
Poor countries with poor education have many children because they are stupid.
Is there a similar crisis in Sri Lanka as well?
The rest of the Asia, Africa and Latin America should follow Japan and South Korea's example. There's too much traffic, overcrowding, pollution, overfishing, poaching, microplastics, glyphosate, overcompetition for good jobs and housing.