No. of Japan households with kids falls below 10 mil for 1st time

What the government and Japanese society done about this? Practically nothing just keep doing everything the same as before.

So about only 1.27 million households have 3 or more children, the necessary number just make society go on ?

It is called a nightmare, isn't it ?

If you can’t afford kids, don’t have them. As a responsible person who cannot afford kids, why should my taxes go to support your child rearing that you “cannot afford”.

Japan ain’t no place to raise a kid- similar to Mars or so the Japanese must be thinking

Yeah, David, that's a hot take.

why should my taxes go to support your child rearing that you “cannot afford”.

@David Brent

Then why should those future taxpayers pay for your pension? Fair enough.

Then why should those future taxpayers pay for your pension? Fair enough.

They're not paying for my pension. I do something called "saving money" to see me through retirement. You should try it sometime.

If you can’t afford kids, don’t have them. As a responsible person who cannot afford kids, why should my taxes go to support your child rearing that you “cannot afford

Who do you think is going to run the society that you live in when you get old?

Setting aside the cost or investment in the next generation, we all know what happens to a Japanese marriage after the first kid comes.

It is already over-relying on tourism

Tourism is less than 1% of the Japan’s economy.

Tbh cry all you like. We have 8 kids, 6 still at home, and that extra money we get each month is juicy. Put most of it into the stockmarket and other investments each month and hopefully itll pay for a few college educations and extra in a few years time. Arigato tax payers. We appreciate the help.

The overwhelming majority of the time that a marriage becomes sexless after kids are born it's because the husband doesn't help out enough around the house, leaving the wife both tired, and also turned off by a husband who doesn't help around the house.

Want your wife to sleep with you? Do the dishes, put the kids to bed, clean the bathroom, take some of the load off her plate.

Tourism is less than 1% of the Japan’s economy.

But Japanese government want to think Tourism is 80% or 90% of economy.

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/business/economy/20230122-85582/

theloniusToday  08:13 am JST

why should my taxes go to support your child rearing that you “cannot afford”.

@David Brent

Then why should those future taxpayers pay for your pension? Fair enough.

Not sure about you but I pay for my own pension monthly even though I will not be here to use it!

Hardship, low income, demands and rules by schools and city office, unforgiving tax and insurance demands, rising costs of basic survival items, and to top it all YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN after the child's birth. NO one listens, and NO one cares.

Having a kid in Japan is the ultimate punch in the face, trust me.

@David Brent

Okay, so I guess there are no knock-on economic effects from a declining population that will affect the value of your savings?

It's amazing how many people don't realize/understand this.

We have 8 kids, 6 still at home, and that extra money we get each month is juicy.

Ha ha, you're living in the wrong country mate. Japan is lowest in OECD for spending on children. You'd make a fortune in child benefit in a more generous country, of which there are many.

We're in the 12% with three. #1's hit university age, so it's spendy time for the next few years, but we'll manage. Hope there's no more inflation though!

The overwhelming majority of the time that a marriage becomes sexless after kids are born it's because the husband doesn't help out enough around the house, leaving the wife both tired, and also turned off by a husband who doesn't help around the house.

The most affectionate wife I know is my brother-in-law's, who's a Filipina. She's always touching him. She also wears short sleeves and short skirts whenever possible because she wants to look sexy. This is a couple with a four year old. I've never met a married Japanese woman who's like that with her husband, even Japanese women who've spent years overseas. If couples are not affectionate with each other, its a bit much to expect everything to go from 0 to 100 when you get into bed, regardless of how much hoovering the guy has done. The pattern that has proved successful worldwide is to have lots of warming up (affection, mood setting) before reaching the bedroom. Rather than focusing on whether a man hoovers, I bet couples who hire a babysitter and go on dates have the most sex of all. This is virtually unheard of in Japan.

David BrentToday  07:34 am JST

If you can’t afford kids, don’t have them. As a responsible person who cannot afford kids, why should my taxes go to support your child rearing that you “cannot afford”.

Because that kid might be YOUR NEXT doctor, your next nurse, your next teacher. Maybe your plumber, or scientist. I'm guessing your American and it's MY TAXES. Well, when they grow up, they will pay YOUR PENSION, help contribute to your health care costs when they are young fit and healthy, and you're NOT Working but things are getting bad health-wise for you. Your might be a person who also complains about spending tax dollars on abortion, and the morning-after pill. I guess if we followed your idea, then nobody would ever have kids except for the rich.

David BrentToday  08:27 am JS

They're not paying for my pension. I do something called "saving money" to see me through retirement. You should try it sometime.

So if your saving for your pension, what will happen if you lose all your money? or ended up in a Ponzi scheme like the one in New York? Or somehow, you become too ill and all your money has to be spent on health care? And you do help pay for the pension in Japan for "TODAY's" pensioners ( if you are here) because they paid for the generation before them and because you're supposed to pay into it. It is a pay-as-you-go system, not "I pay for myself", and then collect it when I retire. So when you retire you will be getting a state pension. paid for by the generation behind you. And that's great that you earn so much, that you can save for yourself. Not everyone has that luxury, whether they might be ill, disabled, or can't work for some reason. But my guess is you are young and healthy, but that won't be the case when you're forced to retire, or maybe become sick.

Hopefully our David also doesn’t need in the future people who provide him with energy and water, fireman or police if something happens, senior home nurses if he can’t help himself anymore, people maintaining the roads, bringing products or filling the supermarket shelves for him, armed forces defending the country where he lives as an older man, and so on. A lot of things and services are outside of that pure monetary or tax aspects. A society without enough younger people is done and over, a nightmare indeed.

So 21 million dogs and 10 million kids?

They're not paying for my pension. I do something called "saving money" to see me through retirement. You should try it sometime.

Some people's salaries are not enough to see them through retirement, no matter how much they save, due to rising costs and stagnating wages. Having children is simply not an option. Having only one spouse work is simply not an option. The bubble has burst.

If you have saved enough money to see you through retirement without any need for pension, be grateful to the society and economy at large that you have been benefitting from. It would be simply impossible for everyone to have as much as you have, because resources are finite.

If you can’t afford kids, don’t have them. As a responsible person who cannot afford kids, why should my taxes go to support your child rearing that you “cannot afford”.

It depends. Do you want Japan as a country to go on? If you are Japanese, you probably would, and that might mean you have an interest in supporting those who are at least willing to have kids but just can't land a sufficiently paying job.

And they're all in my town, apparently.

If you can’t afford kids, don’t have them.

Agree with that part. I see too many people throughout the world having kids and they really can't afford them. It's similar to getting a mortgage of 400000 (that is the average home loan in Australia by way) and you really don't have enough income or future income to meet the repayments. On the subject of the Japanese pension I would be very wary of expecting a pension in 30 years time. With a dwindling population the pension system is not sustainable.

Want your wife to sleep with you? Do the dishes, put the kids to bed, clean the bathroom, take some of the load off her plate.

1( +7 / -6 )

Six people didn't like me pointing out why their wives find them unattractive.

then why should those future taxpayers pay for your pension? 

First off, I've been paying monthly for my kosei nenkin and nenkin, with much of that revenue invested by the govt in the GPIF, whose investments over the years have earned the govt healthy returns. Secondly, taxpayers don't pay for my pension, or least they don't have to. The Japanese government is able to pay pensioners through money creation, ie, pressing a button that electronically marks up my bank account in yen. There is no tax revenue required,

Strangerland: "Want your wife to sleep with you? Do the dishes, put the kids to bed, clean the bathroom, take some of the load off her plate."

Sounds like some misdirected frustration that is coming out of nowhere.

"Six people didn't like me pointing out why their wives find them unattractive."

Who cares who thumbs you down? I think we all know it doesn't mean anything, and you are usually not concerned.

People aren't having more kids because it's just unfeasible to do so, and those kids would be born slaves here with no future at all to look forward to. As it is, I think we have MAYBE until the end of this decade at most before the retirement age is put up to 75, and less than that before the amount covered by health care (which will increase in premiums) is 50-60%, and there is zero pension to speak of, not to mention income tax and other tax increases. Add to that the fact that there is little to no support for parents and schools and daycare cost a fortune and why is this any surprise?

Japan is FAR past the point where they can effectively deal with this problem. Instead of addressing it you have clowns like Kishida pouring TRILLIONS into defense spending and putting this on the back burner.

Be fruitful and multiply is not just just a Biblical suggestion, it's a commandment for a reason. Any society failing to do that, for whatever reason, is doomed to self destruction. Sad, because on the whole Japan is such a wonderful country.

No matter what the cost, having children, for those who can, is a tremendously rewarding and fun experience and contributes to a healthy, prosperous and enduring society.

The article should also note that number of child hating people increased in japan. The restrictions for children plays on parks and some restaurants are applying strict restrictions without any acceptable logic. Having a child in japan is almost unacceptable in the society.

@Concerned Citizen

Aahh- Having children: The 'Rose-tinted glasses' view: 'No matter what the cost'- You can add 'and to whom' to that, too, if people were to continue to be that irresponsible and self-seeking- There really are no guaranteed returns for society's investment, which many seem to brandish as supporting evidence.

Glad to see the Japanese are finally waking up to the realization that the pitiful levels of assistance that are available now, will almost certainly dwindle to risible levels in the not too distant future.

Sounds fun, doesn't it.

Six people didn't like me pointing out why their wives find them unattractive.

You have a valid point. All the married guys I know who constantly complain about never getting any, are the same lazy blighters who are out on the town every other night, leaving their SO to do all the housework and childrearing.

You have a valid point. All the married guys I know who constantly complain about never getting any, are the same lazy blighters who are out on the town every other night, leaving their SO to do all the housework and childrearing.

I have THE point. There are only rare exceptions to it. It's by far the overwhelming reason most wives stop who stop finding their husbands attractive, stop finding their husbands attractive.

Haters don't like hearing the truth.