Japan expects fewer newborns in 2021 as pandemic affects pregnancies

Wow, and all along I thought while people were stuck at home they would be getting busy.

@Yubaru.......I thought the exact same as you.

I guess it is a more. convenient reason for the government rather than admitting that most of its young citizens can’t afford to have children due to plunging salaries and a tragic work/life balance.

I am not surprised at all, I don't think there are many people who would want to start with kids during a pandemic. On the flip side, once an official vaccine is out, I'm sure there will be a temporarily increase of the birthrate.

Working the same hours or more, fiddling with masks, face shields, wiping down tables-it’s all I can do to change into my pajamas and hit the sack,let alone get amorous!

So when do we get news on the divorce rate? I’m guessing an increase. I laughed at the comments who suggested there would be a baby boom. The reality of having people work from home here wasn’t fun for many from what friends have said.

Was there is similar drop in pregnancies during H1N1?

Yeah and it is not like the birth rate in Japan has been down over 2 decades.

Yet it is ... wait for it ... here it is ... CORONA. Even before it came along.

Logical. But let's not blame a virus nor its sociopathic possibilities. Fact is, Japanese young adults (20-30 in my Canadian perspective) can't afford a child. On average. Thanks to a few much younger families I know in Japan, they're working at it.

A fall in newborns means a smaller future workforce to support soaring social security spending to cover pensions and medical care for the country's aging population.

This style of system simply has to be changed, in aging Japan most of all.

A system where each cohort saves and pays for itself, would decouple the fate of one generation from the fate of another, and might lead voters and politicians to start behaving more responsibly with their votes.

But keep dumping more debt and higher taxes on future generations, and those that are capable will migrate to where such generational inequality is less severe, exacerbating the problem.

I think the main reason of not having children now is the unknown consequences COVID on newborn health.

Instead of ‘stay home’ & ‘go to travel’ campaigns,

they should have a ‘stay home & go to bed’ campaign

I'd expect the opposite to be true. However, the only people having kids during the pandemic are people that don't already have kids!

Y'all with kids know what I mean, right?

Very unfortunate. Life is much more fun with lots of kids around. Hopefully the situation will improve soon.

Doesn't anyone here think that the young Japanese women in Japan want to live their own lives and enjoy themselves before being locked down by having a child ?  Or want to enjoy a career and some independence ? Young Japanese fathers are mostly not really sharing the burden of child raising.  They only help out when they want or feel like it but the wives can not choose, they are were the buck stops. 

And they want time for themselves before they become mothers.

Finally, less people in Japan will be a blessing in the mid to long term, not a problem.

Whereas in the Philippines there's going to be a baby boom.

Y'all with kids know what I mean, right?

No. In my home we’ll be adding to our collection in early 2021. Didn’t really have much to do with Covid either way :)

Corona is another reason. But Virtual Reality exposed the Japanese Men to have sexual desire for 3D girls and have a hallow as their wife. Japanese hentai is more like a comfort zone for Mens of 25+ age. Japan need to work on this situation because Japan can only retain it's 3rd Spot as a superpower if it had some huge man power and skilled labour.