Now, we want to talk about some recent news from Japan. On May 4th, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced the number of births in Japan as part of the Children's Day celebrations, which is observed on May 5th every year.
Unfortunately, the news was not good. As of April 1, 2023, the number of males and females under the age of 15, including the foreign population, was 14.35 million people. This represents a decrease of 300,000 from the previous year, and marks the 42nd consecutive year of decline in the birth rate in Japan. This is the lowest number of births ever recorded in Japan.
The proportion of children to the total population was only 11.5%, a decrease of 0.2% from the previous year. According to data from the United Nations, Japan has the lowest proportion of children among the 36 nations with populations over 40 million people, although these percentages vary from year to year.
If this trend continues, there will be fewer people to support the social security system and a severe shortage of labor in the future. It is essential to continue to increase productivity to keep society and the economy running with fewer people.
When we break down the number of children by age groups of three years, the younger the age group, the lower the number of children. The number of children aged 12 to 14, corresponding to high school students, was 3.21 million, while the number of children aged 0 to 2 was only 2.43 million. In all prefectures, the number of children decreased compared to the previous year.
The prefecture of Okinawa had the highest proportion of children by prefecture (as of October 1, 2022), at 16.3%, followed by the prefectures of Shiga and Saga, both at 13.2%. The lowest was Akita, with only 9.3%.
These statistics have inspired many discussions in Japan, with people expressing their concern and even despair about the future. Some of the comments shared on online forums include:
- "In 20 years, euthanasia will be legal. I want to spend my savings and go to the other side."
- "It's bad that the suicide rate is increasing when this is all we have."
- "Look at the enrollment numbers for your old elementary school. The children of the future won't have the same childhood that we had."
- "The children who will be born in the future will be in hell."
- "The number of suicides among young people is the highest in history. We can't just leave them behind."
- "Even 14.35 million people are too many for such a small island country."
- "I fear the arrival of a new era."
- "The extinction of Japanese people is becoming more and more real."
- "The population will remain in the workforce until they are 80..."
- "It's no surprise, everything is going according to plan."
This situation is worrying, and it is important to reflect on what it means for the future of Japan. We must support efforts to improve productivity, reduce social inequality, and promote policies that make it easier for young people to start families. As individuals, we can also make a difference by supporting initiatives that encourage childbirth and childcare, and by promoting a culture that values and supports families.
Let's help to ensure that Japan has a bright and prosperous future!
Source: otakomu
