Gaffe-prone Aso criticizes women who don't give birth

He's like a more sinister version of George W Bush, except the latter's gaffes were mostly scripted and he didn't actually believe half of what he said in public. Aso means it and it's not scripted!

Nasty, nasty little man. The photo does him justice.

I think he fits into a Tim & Eric video.

Moron, it's his job to create an environment to have children, there are no schools in Tokyo, you can't get into them and you have to "donate" aka pay off the private schools to get in. How is anyone expected to have more than 1 child?

Somebody really enjoys the taste of his own feet.

Gaffe-prone? He is a senile old sexist git that speaks whatever twisted little comment comes into his head! However, the saddest thing is, people keep voting for him! WTF!!!

I honestly cannot believe that this guy is still in politics. But one thought is, he's pretty old himself. Could he hurry up and die? I also think he would protest against that thought?

You get the elected officials that you deserve. Representative democracy.

I have to agree that blaming his mouth is missing the point. No, it's actually minimizing and distracting from the main issue.

Unless he has some serious condition like Tourette syndrome, it's all about his brain.

LDP diet members should be members of Japanese society encouraged not to procreate. It may be the only way to save Japan by cutting down the number of well-connected, blue-blood balloon heads making this fine country a political laughing stock.

The terrible thing is that he won't even be sorry or apologize, this guy can say ANYTHING and can get away with it. I seriously hope this old fool will get a big slice of karma some day.

With an average birth rate of 1.4, could it be that Aso is the 0.4?

People who don't give birth? We'd love to have more kids, but it's hard to feel confident about the future when you have no job security, your savings is being inflated and devalued away, taxes are rising, and the government clearly cares more about the elderly than anyone still young enough to be working.

What is most telling and of much greater significance than anything Aso says is the silence coming from his superior and the man responsible for placing Aso in the cabinet in the first place, Prime Minister Abe. Nobody in the party had in the past or will now distance themselves because they all feel the very same way, they just a little bit smarter with their tongues.

Aso will say his words were misreported or that they were taken out of context and Abe will say it's a matter for Aso to explain and the media will move on! However, Abe should be questioned as to his opinion on the matter and if he disagrees with Aso, at what point is enough is enough and take action, at the very least, rebuke Aso.

Funny though how it was Abe and Juminto when they were in the minority that had demanded that the Minshuto administration leaders take responsibility when their own made gaffes and then they refused to attend commitee meetings and the like until people were held accountable! What a bunch of ignorant two-faced hypocrites!

No support for families? check! No fulfillment of the promise to increase women in the workforce and promote equality? Check! in fact, the LDP is fielding the lowest number of female candidates of all parties, and nothing has been done at all to promote women in the workplace or support them at the level of your average Jane Tanaka. Lack of schools present for children? Check! Tax cuts to corporations while taking back tax cuts to families? Check! No progress on Abe's vow to increase wages to all families in Japan? Check!

The LDP is doing a bang up job on creating conditions for women and families to have any or more children, let alone WANT to, so what does this moronic little man have to blame but himself? No doubt these kind of insults from a known sexist, proven Nazi sympathizer who wants old people (except himself!) to 'hurry up and die' will have the 'baby-making machines' just begging to have more kids now!

I wonder what non-mother Mrs Abe thinks about this idiotic comment. Having or not having children is a totally personal and private matter for all women and all men. Nobody should be told what to do. As Finance Minister, he should be aware that economic factors can make it difficult or impossible for people who might otherwise want children to go ahead with it. Mr Aso should be placed in a barge and towed to Gunkanjima for a permanent mooring.

Allow me to say something unpopular - Aso does have a point. It is easy to blame the environment. But let's face it, for at least some of the problems will resolve without governmental intervention if people give more birth - the number of childcare facilities being one of them. Have demand, come market.

I do not like this man one little bit. But to be fair, he did not 'criticise women who don't give birth', at least not if the Asahi report of his words is correct: 高齢者が悪いようなイメージを作っている人がいっぱいいるが、子どもを産まない方が問題だ (There are lots of people who are creating the impression that older people are the problem, but the fact that people aren't having babies is a bigger problem). He did not mention women at all, and far from criticising, he seems to be pointing out quite rationally where the problem lies. At least he's no longer suggesting it's all the fault of the elderly (he's 74) who should hurry up and die. Good on him. He also went on to point out that if the birth rate does not pick up, in the very near future there will be 2 workers supporting every OAP and the only way to deal with this is to raise taxes.

Now all he needs to do is set out in detail his plans for encouraging Mr and Mrs Average Japanese Consumer to go forth and multiply so that taxes can remain low.

Then he will need to devote his energies to retraining the flight control people at Narita to help the jets avoid the flying pigs.

Mary, Joseph and the camel, you don't surpose in some round about fashion Finance Minister Taro Aso is preparing to offer his personal 'services' to reverse the nations declining birth rate with some 'affirmative' action? Introduce the scare factor to up the birth rate?

Allow me to say something unpopular - Aso does have a point. It is easy to blame the environment. But let's face it, for at least some of the problems will resolve without governmental intervention if people give more birth - the number of childcare facilities being one of them. Have demand, come market.

As a politician you don't come out and tell folks to get busy and make kids. A politician with half-a-brain would be introducing policies and incentives to make it plausible for people to have children and raise them.

Your "unpopular" statement says to me that in a manner of speaking you agree with Aso and that is sad that anyone would think such a way. But then you are Japanese right?

Actually, he is factually correct, but as a politician he should know that he has to chose his words carefully.

Pity his parents decided to have kids isn't it.

But he is right in the way that Japan needs people to have kids to pay for the elderly who built this nation from the ashes of world war 2 ( That his family benefited from immensely by the way , using slave labour in mines his family owned during the war ) and provided all the rail ways roads, airports and facilities the younger generations take for granted.

But because of him and his cronies no one wants to have kids here, his government is responsible for creating the environment where people don't want to have kids. So far they have made an environment where no one wants or can afford to have kids, blame yourself aso.

To lessen the burden on themselves and the kids they do have the younger generations would be better off having as many little earners and tax payers as possible, this way they will help to have a pension when they get older.

Without this generation doing their bit to add to the population they are destined to hardship in later years.

he did not 'criticise women who don't give birth'

@cleo

I may be splitting hairs here, but I think Aso did refer specifically (although somewhat indirectly) to women rather than men because he was talking about giving birth with his used the word "umu" (産む) . The Kenkyusha dictionary defines the word as "子や卵を、母体から出す。" ([the act of] a mother's body releasing a child or an egg). So the word means either 'bear [a child]' or 'lay [an egg].' (男性は、子どもを産むことが出来ません。)

男性は、子どもを産むことが出来ません

There are many people who are creating the image that (the increasing number of) elderly people is bad, but more problematic is people who don’t give birth,”

If that's what he said then the title of this article is very well altered to be loaded for the Aso-bashing JT crowd!

He's too good for Japanese politics .... Politics in which you should never speak out loudly what you really think!

This follows another gaffe by Aso just two days ago (allegedly), as reported by the WSJ:

a media report Saturday said Finance Minister Taro Aso remarked during the campaign that companies that weren't making money were either unlucky or incompetent.

He is a lot better than other politicians who do not speak truth or against the grain of the constituents. There are many who share with his comments. We enjoy his unique opinions and his sense of humor.

The birth rate will continue to decline until that elusive feel good factor returns to bring economic stability to family life. Who will want to bring life into this world if you can't provide a stable environment. Japanese families culturally are socially responsible enough not to rely on the state.

It is Aso and the political/business culture he comes from which is responsible for the falling birthrate. It is he and his cronies who have created a society in which it has become too expensive for people to have children.

If you are Joe Salaryman, you probably went to university, and have a decent grasp of math. Joe looks at his salary, which in Japan will max out at an average 4.5 million yen per year, before taxes. Then Joe thinks about his food and housing costs, and how much his wife spends. He subtracts that from his after-tax income, and usually he finds the remainder to be depressing, and probably not enough to feed and educate one child, let alone 1.4 children.

And even if Joe is one of the more privileged few who earns 10 million pre-tax yen per year, he probably lives in central Tokyo, or central Osaka, where the cost of living is much higher, and when he subtracts his normal living expenses, his disposable income is probably not much higher than a lower-paid Joe Salaryman, and raising children is no less a hardship. And even if he does make enough to raise two or more kids, what future do they have to look forward to? A lifetime of long hours and low pay as a salaryman? Or, just as bad, the wife of a salaryman?

The government, by way of greed, or incompetence, or both, has created this environment, or, at the very least, has stood by uselessly as it was created. People will not have children in an economic environment which makes it too difficult, or impossible to afford to raise them.

Sensato - Your splitting hairs goes well with my tongue in cheek. :-)

Aso's right, of course. People should be laying more eggs. Chickens can lay eggs without a male anywhere in sight, no reason Japanese women can't do the same if they really concentrate....

(After the butter shortage, there's now going to be an egg shortage? Spare us!)

As the article suggests it is a common occurence with Mr.Aso to say something offensive like his recent comments. He is also well known for his lack of knowledge of basic everyday Chinese characters, kanji. The fact that Mr.Aso was once our prime minister and is still an important member of the current government shows that in this country supposedly democratic and fair elections sometimes do not seem to work at all.

companies that weren't making money were either unlucky or incompetent

Aso included "unlucky" , so it's OK. What else possiblities do you think there are? Not enough subsidies?

This guy's as bad as Farage in the UK... if not worse. People skills = ZERO.

Aso failed economic policy has exasperated the declining birth rate. Banks are unwilling to lend to employees in short term contractual employment to buy a house, even the rental market is out of reach to most. So couples don't commit relationships to marriage, added together these factors it's little wonder the birth rate will decline. Aso performance in office mirrors the current malaise in society. He should have been sacked after the first gaff, but here he is still there aggravating the situation further by not taking responsibility for his failure and resigning.

Campaign gaffes are part of territory of those seeking office here. For working women, the demands of Japanese corporate culture often mean mixing career and family is impossible. Despite the alarm bells, the government is unsure what to do.

Tina Watanabe

Aso included "unlucky" , so it's OK. What else possiblities do you think there are? Not enough subsidies?

Subsidies have nothing to do with it. Japan does not need subsidies.

Japan has a lot of well educated people, probably their greatest resource. But, the problem for Japan is Japan Inc. and the lifelong employment system. Its inefficient. It keeps talented workers underpaid and underperforming workers are overpaid. When you join a traditional Japanese company you are expected to work long hours. It needs to change is Japan is to stabilize its birthrate.

Aso was made deputy prime minister to divert attention from Abe. He's the Spiro Agnew of the LDP.

Aso said something like, hurry up and die instead of simply extending life on very expensive life supporting system or treatment. He is not terminally ill, so no need to hurry up and die.

That doesn't make what he said any better. They worked and paid taxes. The system needs reworked, yes, but its absolutely callous to say they should "hurry up and die instead of simply extending life on very expensive life supporting system or treatment." They paid for their benefits, so they deserve them.

The sheep will still vote for him.

"This guy's as bad as Farage in the UK."

I didnt know that Farage makes insulting comments about women and the elderly.

Vote LDP and you get guys like this!

It's up to you Japanese voting public. Think before you vote!

no wonder Japan cannot move further, as long as simple little minded people like Aso are in politics, things won't change for the country. This old style machismo is part of the problem not the solution. The old people need to let go of the power and control as well as the old guard..time for real change

Gaffe-prone Aso criticizes women who don't give birth

And I want to criticise politicians who stay on into their 70s. In other words, "past their useful date".

Aso said that chickens should lay more egg(not women)-at least that's my translation ...,,,

He squeezes one out every time he speaks. Mysoginist idiot.

Now it seems LDPwill win majority that Aso is working to replace Abe. This is against Abe's famiy After LDP wins, there will be LDP internal electiom of LDP chair. So, Aso want to kick Abe out and become LDP Chairman, LDP Chair becomes PM. Abe do not have children, Some families have hard time to get own children and they usually adopt, This is anti Abe campaign by Aso.

It's no gaffe, he speaks the truth. Young people are only interested in buying the latest crap and living at home with their mommy's and daddies. No guts.

It's no gaffe, he speaks the truth. Young people are only interested in buying the latest crap and living at home with their mommy's and daddies. No guts.

And why do you suppose that is? Perhaps because their parent's generation wrecked the economy? Perhaps they did not parent properly?

That is an absolutely absurd statement to make. Women who want children are forced to choose between a career and family. Men with children are forced to work excessively long hours, making it difficult to help with the children and household work. The system has got to change.

@Kazuaki ShimazakiDEC

Allow me to say something unpopular - Aso does have a point. It is easy to blame the environment. But let's face it, for at least some of the problems will resolve without governmental intervention if people give more birth - the number of childcare facilities being one of them. Have demand, come market.

News flash: The problem won't resolve this way. It's too late!

Who has voted for and will continue to vote for this man?? Please don't reproduce Aso...too many rotten people on the earth already and you are bringing more ill to it.

After telling Japan’s growing ranks of elderly they should “hurry up and die”, Finance Minister Taro Aso has turned his well-worn gaffe gun on “people who don’t give birth”. He is exactly the type man Abe wanted and appointed, remember that before you vote.

Somewhere in hell the Big Bad Satan knows that he has to relinquish his position when Aso comes calling, hopefully soon. I'm tired of reading about him. He is pure nonsense and should return his membership in the human race.

If you want women to have more babies help make it more appealing by offering more support. I cannot fathom why Japanese women have to pay so much to have a baby in Japan. Maturity clinics are like factories. That's why I bought my wife to NZ where it's completely free and you have your own private midwife and doctors who spend up to 30 minutes with you at a time.

Come on Aso and your old government cronies get with the program!

he said the elderly should be allowed to “hurry up and die”

well take some of your own advice!

And here's my advice. Next time you put your foot in your mouth, try the other foot, because your mouth is bending more and more to one side - crooked.

I'm glad these sort of politicians would be thrown out in my country. I don't envy you at all, tinawatanabe! Hang on, where's Nigelboy? He should be here giving his politicians a pat on the back - the very best leading his beloved nation.

Do any of you know how many childrfen Aso produced? His family is richest in Kyusyu. Don;t fortet to count his mistresses children, I think my comment will be deleted but I just couldn;t resist to write Japanese well-to-do [people's tradition of illegitimate children creations.

@ Toshiko, According to wiki he has two children. Most people should read about the man. I think he is well educated and speaks his mind. The last time I checked Japan still had freedom of speech. Keep it Aso, you have one gaijin who supports you!

There is a perception; no good (company) jobs, no stable employment, no child care, pending nuclear winter, greed is good, houses too small, balcony's too high, no parks, high education cost, global carbon issues, and those that don't have perception just want to have fun, many men are herbivores and many women just want to be KAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But realy, Japan is such a great place to watch the end of the world.

@Pat: Wikii dpes not have mistress stories in English language version. It does not even have well known Takeshita story in witch Takeshita resigned, Wiki only write children by marriage. Check Hirobumi Ito. the first PM in Japan. Some of PM had more than 10 children, Wealthy pwoplw aupply mamaiona. If you are in Tokyo, there are many high rise condos that only lease to mistresses families. meaning mistresses' children) Anything Japan related arti cle in Wiki, English versions are just smmaries of selected comment of Japanese version,

Aso speaks as if he was the product of a science experiment a test tube baby that became an idiot!

In July last year, he said Tokyo could learn from Nazi Germany when it comes to constitutional reform.

Six months earlier, he said the elderly should be allowed to “hurry up and die” instead of costing the government money for end-of-life medical care.

After telling Japan’s growing ranks of elderly they should “hurry up and die”, Finance Minister Taro Aso has turned his well-worn gaffe gun on “people who don’t give birth”.

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If /Abe is elected to LDP chairmanm I hope Abe will choose someone to Vice Minister. If Aso is elected to LDP Chairmanm disastrous to LDP. Revolution by elderly and women might occur.

Just to let you know that the elderly people that your asking to hurry up and die fought bravely in a war to defend Japan, I think that you should think twice before you open your ridiculous mouth!! so when are you going to resign from the government post your in?? time to go mate, come one hurry up!

n July last year, he said Tokyo could learn from Nazi Germany when it comes to constitutional reform

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Elderly people have to worry now. He likes Nazi which massacred Jewish people.

jaymann: Aso owned mines in Kyushu used slave labors and very very profottab;le during WW II. His family still owns. He will be elected in his area but many people in his prefecture who feel sorry for Takamori Saigo;s fate stil do not trust Aso clans They believe Aso will doublecross anyine who helo him. Matve he means business that do not use slave labor is failure?.

and this guy is the finance minister, says it all really.

Stay on topic please. Whether or not Aso has mistresses is irrelevant.

Government sponsored daycare centers might help solve that problem.

DAWGG: Government sponsored daycare centers might help solve that problem.

And government-provided vouchers for love hotels!

Think before you vote!

You are asking them to do something that they have not been programmed to do.

Aso seriously needs to think about joining Ishihara in retirement

How are Japanese politicians so clueless about the financial situations of middle and low class income owners? Do they only wander around the metropolitan area? They should probably observe the suburb area if they care about the future of the country because I don't hear stories like that in Japanese politics.

Bullst. All you need to have children is a man and a woman of child-bearing age, provided that they are fertile and with healthy reproductive organs. People have been doing it this way for millennia and they still do it even in the most world's worst backwater st holes. The idea that you need "childcare facilities" and a long string of government-sponsored programs is simply preposterous. Why no one will admit the truth, which is that they're selfish? They want to spend their time and resources only on themselves and the only whims they want to cater are their own because a child is, at least in developed countries, deemed to be a burden (rightly so) and people don't want to carry it. This is especially true in Japan. Now, there's nothing wrong with that and I support selfishness all the way, but then don't go saying that the reason you can't have children is because the big bad government doesn't want to help you! That is far more stupid than Aso's remarks.

Maybe Japanese families need to change who take care of children in home? House husband when mother earn more or father lose jobs? Maybe Aso asks scientists who will enable men to be pregnant?

WEll. Media now reports that LDP will win so /aso might be LDP head. Head of LDP will become PM so Aso supporters might have chance to see Aso wish done. Eldderly and Childress womwen Massacre as he loves Nazi.

Hang on, where's Nigelboy? He should be here giving his politicians a pat on the back - the very best leading his beloved nation.

Don't know why mods let this one go but it appears Pukey got suckered into reading the headlines only. Sensational western journalism and the incompetent readers that follow.

Aso stated the obvious. Low birth rate is a problem.

Ha ha, Aso's only got two official kids himself, that's not replacement level he needs to get busy on that.

His premise is right, though. And the tax on non-bearers ought to be a lot higher than just funding other people's children through the haphazard freebies and minimal tax exemptions thrown to parents for their kids.

@nigelboy: You probably are right that Aso stated the obvious. Low birth rate is a problem. As a politician, he should be able to formulate his opinon better than just telling final of his thought. For low birth rate, he should have a plan to encourage women marraige with love and many other way. It is not easy to welcome immigrant in Japan but there are many orphans in war torn countries. How about welcome orphans?

Always hated him, such a smug Dbag

Get rid of age of consent here and watch the birth rate rise hahahaha

Truth is Japanese women hav told me is that they don't like children .

"Truth is Japanese women hav told me is that they don't like children ."

Wow, your truth leaves me in awe. Was that a scientific poll of 60 million women? Because, like, my wife loves kids and I think I've met a few other Japanese moms in my area who like their own children and also (gasp) on occasion other people's kids.

You can find women (and men) who loathe kids or refuse to have them in any nation on the planet. I mean, jeez, obtuse much.

Overall, though Aso gets off this time, it's always amusing to hear Japanese men making such remarks when they show so little interest in child-rearing duties. A friend visited us last week and was telling us about her husband getting up mid-meal to grab chopsticks for himself, all the while blind to the fact that his daughter was sitting there without utensils of her own. A more fitting image of J-fatherhood...

After his remarks the other day I supprised that he's still in the government when will he step down?

I don;t think 'women don't like children' is the reason Japan has low birth rate. Whether you like or not, wives become pregnant periodically. ///women don;t like to ,marry Japanese men could be more reason. If they don;t marry, chances are low, Maybe test husband;s fertility if married people can not babies.

After his remarks the other day I supprised that he's still in the government when will he step down?

He won't. No-one has to. Even Hashimoto survived. He will just "apologise" and all will be forgiven

Abe or Aso, their family trees show that they are born with silver spoons in their mouths.-They didn't become politicians by their own efforts but by just inheriting political supports for generations. Their existences themselves are anti-democracy and thus should have been expelled if Japan had become a democratic country in its heart. However, under the skin, Japan had stayed as a clan-centered society. Japan is not democratic or free-market country but was just trying to look like them after defeated by USA. American government must have been aware of this (as if they were all idiots) but they probably thought it would be better to keep Japan away from communism, which shouldn't appear so odd to the eyes of those who are accustomed to American foreign policy. In this context, Japan is like North Korea/DPRK for USA. This can also explain why Japan has became like this "suddenly."

I like him though for being straightforward and speaking his mind.

@Esllsce: Aso has gold spoon in his mouth.

Japan is democratic country. Anyone can become a politician. It does not discriminate wealthy people or descendants of Meiji Govt creaters. But does anyone know Aso is elected?