Jakarta –
Japan is facing two very critical problems in its country, namely a low birth rate and an aging population. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said these two issues urgently needed to be addressed.
In fact, the situation is so precarious as a result of these two problems. Fumio promised to immediately form a new government agency, specifically to address the problem.
Addressing lawmakers during a policy speech marking the start of a new parliamentary session, Fumio said that according to reports, the number of births in the country fell below the 800,000 mark last year.
“Japan is on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society,” he warned. He added that focusing attention on policies regarding children and caring for children is a serious issue that cannot be postponed.
“We must build a social economy that prioritizes children to reverse the low birth rate,” said Fumio.
How serious is the situation?
Japan has a population of around 125 million people, and in 2022, as Prime Minister Fumio mentioned in his speech, Japan’s population will record fewer than 800,000 births for the first time. This was already predicted to happen. However, Japan experienced it eight years earlier than expected.
For the last eleven years, the country has broken the annual record for the lowest birth ever. In 2020 there were 840,832 births, in 2021 it fell to 811,604 births, and in 2022 the number even fell to its lowest level below 800 thousand.
Japan is the second oldest country in the world with an average population of 49 years. About 28% of the population is 65 years or older. The small city-state of Monaco with a very small population of 36,686 is the oldest in the world, with around 36% of its citizens over 65 years of age.
Time bomb
What steps did Japan take to deal with the second time bomb of this problem? To deal with declining birth rates, Japan launched various policies, one of which includes a special agency for the Child and Family Agency which will start working in April 2023.
The policy has been designed to support parents and ensure the sustainability of the world’s third largest economy. According to UN records, since the early 1990s, the Japanese government has expanded family policies and programs in three areas, namely childcare services, parental leave schemes, and financial assistance in the form of child benefits.
In October 2022, the government also proposed extending maternity leave from 14 weeks to 26 weeks for mothers, and from eight weeks to 12 weeks for fathers.
Impact of population decline
Japan faces the problem of a shrinking workforce and an aging population. Japan is not alone in dealing with this population decline. China also reported similar problems.
According to the AFP report, this can be attributed to a variety of factors such as the rising cost of living to people choosing to have children later or not having them at all. China recently reported that for the first time in six decades, its population is declining.
The impact of population decline on a country cannot be taken lightly. A country with a higher proportion of elderly becomes less attractive to business. Business owners face a shortage of qualified workers, and the country’s economy suffers without the influx of foreign business.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has also recently voiced concern about the declining birth rate in Japan. In May 2022, the billionaire warned that the country might “disappear” in the near future, and that would be a huge loss for the world.
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