Many Japanese women born in 2005 are not interested in giving birth. Their decision would certainly create trouble for the island nation in the coming years.

Different Japanese media recently reported that around 42% of Japanese women born in 2005 may never become mothers, as they do not want to get pregnant. Citing a State-run research institute, Nikkei stated that Japan’s future would not be bright due to this.

In its latest report, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research has mentioned that the percentage of these women may come down from 42 to 33.40, if the situation remains fair. If the social conditions improve, then the percentage is expected to be close to 24.6! According to a report, the percentage of childlessness is even higher for men, with as many as 50% never seen having children. Interestingly, Japanese men want to remain celibate. As per reports, half of 18-year-olds do not want to become a father. Sociologists are of the opinion that the Asian nation is experiencing such a situation due to the reluctance of Japanese men and women to bear children.

A similar trend is observed in the US and Europe, although the number is much lesser. The First World countries have become economically strong in recent times. However, their younger generations want to remain childless. In the West, around 10-20% of women born in the 1970s do not have children. This figure is closer to 27% in Japan. Within a few years, this number is expected to double in the Asia-Pacific nation.

Meanwhile, this trend has declined somewhat in countries, like Britain and Germany. Most couples in these two European countries are willing to have at least one child. The Japanese Government, too, is making efforts to encourage the younger generation to have children. It is also trying to encourage men to get married. In January 2023, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida admitted that his country was “on the brink” of a crisis, stressing that his government would spend around JPY 20 trillion (roughly EUR 128 billion or USD 140 billion) on measures to support young couples who wish to have more children. The amount corresponds to around 4% of Japan’s GDP, and is nearly double the amount the government had earmarked for the same goal in the 2021 fiscal year. In 2017, the Tokyo-based National Institute of Population and Social Security Research warned that the annual number of births should not fall below the 800,000 thresholds until 2030.

Professor Takashi Oshio of Hitostubashi University’s Institute of Economic Research has said: “There needs to be an urgent discussion on building a social safety net in every area, including pensions, medical care, nursing care and living assistance, that does not disadvantage people without family, along with funding.“

Time and again, Tokyo has expressed concern over the declining birthrate in recent years. Japan recorded its lowest birthrate in 2022. The number of people who died in 2022 (1.56 million) was roughly twice as high as the number of births (771,000). Declining birthrates are a serious issue for Japan, as a smaller workforce and fewer taxpayers are currently sustaining the world’s third-largest economy. Japan has become one of the world’s most indebted countries.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das