Japan's population is heading straight down. A nosedive means children being born now will be thrown into a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function.

Japan's population is heading straight down. A nosedive

Japan is down on everything, go to any worldwide rank it just going down.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-drops-to-104th-in-gender-disparity-rank-in-world-bank-survey

It's been known about for decades. If no one wants to do anything then maybe it's just a cultural thing. Usually things which don't change or can't be changed are explained that way.

It’s weird, I get the feeling the more these guys talk like this the LESS people will want to have kids. We need some more people with vision and a positive message to step up and take the lead. These guys are just doing more damage.

Masako Mori- wasn't she the justice minister when the whole Carlos Ghosn affair erupted? She promised to explain Japan's hostage system and yet nothing.

A nosedive means children being born now will be thrown into a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function.

Well, I'd say we're nearly there. But like moonraker said, its been known for decades.

Japan is down on everything, go to any worldwide rank it just going down.

exactly.

Last year, about twice as many people died as were born in Japan, with fewer than 800,000 births and about 1.58 million deaths.

A couple of days ago, I was watching Youtube and a statistician and demographer was talking about population decline around the world in general. He said something interesting:

The key thing to look out for is not just the number of births vs deaths- the real population disaster is when the population declines by a greater number than the number of births that year.

I thought that was interesting. I'd never thought of looking at things that way.

Well, the first thing they need to do is make obstetrics into a career people want to take up. My daughter is married and kind of wants to have a child, but the closest obstetrician is the next city, at least 30 minutes away, or a city in the opposite direction, about 45 minutes away. Not even the so-called 総合病院s in our city offer obstetric services. Doesn't sound very 総合 to me.

It's actually WORSE, why you ask?

1) Deaths do not include Foreigners who are residents

2) Births include those to non Japanese likely to leave

3) Births include Japanese ANYWHERE outside Japan

3.5) regarding #3, either 1/2 parents being Japanese

Eg. parents Japanese Doctor has 4 young children in America, he always laughs about Japanese Govt's bothersome paperwork, refers to Japan as 'death star' as his kids like Star Wars, they ain't coming back and thus the skilled brain drain continues

4) If you read serious recent research on Covid infection, how it's a serious co-morbidity factor for 'excess deaths' (and disease) you'll understand tsunami of deaths is coming here due huge number of recent infections. I'd recommend UK based Lancet medical journal

5) Likely Japan's population decline will increase easily 50% off of official numbers in 2023 vs. 2022 and continue to increase rapidly as population SHRINKS, very possible due to influence of Covid -19 Japan's population could shrink by 50% by or even before 2050

If you read above closely, real numbers FAR worse but rather than worry too much, take positive actions and improve your health!

Clay- excellent points!

so she is top LDP member and she did NOTHING about that,just saying things all we know for years.

LDP is all but cheap talk and no action.

I honestly do not intended to bash the elderly (and I myself am approaching retirement age) but if you want more babies then your policies have to benefit the babies and the people having and raising them. Way, way too many resources allocated to the elderly in this country.

Apparently, saying one thing and doing the opposite, if the population is declining, why is the govt pushing the narrative of overpopulation in Japan and financing with tax money companies for making/selling products/bread and cookies including insect/crickets powder instead of regular flour because apparently "we don't have enough for everybody"? Exactly like the EU council at the same moment, same people, the same consulting companies, same global politics.

https://www.bakeryjapan.com/pasco202106-bli.html

A nosedive means children being born now will be thrown into a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function.

This is hardly what any prospective parent wants to hear. "Any child you have is going to have a terrible life".

Having children is a vote of confidence in the future. The politicians should do things that boost such confidence, such as guaranteeing them that the state will be there for them and their children. The state could do this by increasing Japan's self sufficiency, promoting good relations with its neighbours, and ensuring that people in Japan do not go hungry, cold, or wanting of medical care.

No silly wars over Taiwan please! That's the last thing I want for our kids.

Japan's population is heading straight down. A nosedive means children being born now will be thrown into a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function.

I love her optimism.

a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function, yet more food, cheaper everything, more space, how does she not get this is a natural balance of things and for the best.

Congratulations to the LDP and those who enabled it in the post-war era, you have totally mismanaged this country, and now devote the majority of Japan's resources to a military confrontation with her neighbors rather than focusing on providing an environment where people can comfortably raise a family, i.e. doubling the defense budget while cutting down on social services.

The most important thing to politicians is not as many people to tax.

Some people overlook that this trend is actually widespread in Asia and Europe as well including developing countries. Parts of India have birth rates as low as China/Japan/Korea.

That development is by far not unique to Japan although more dramatic and visible here.

You need happy people, a stable, comfortable society and hope for the future to want to start a family.

Things weren't too bad up to 2019, but with the pandemic, the lockdowns, rising nationalism, increasing conflict, a new cold war, a real war in Europe and maybe in the Pacific Rim over Taiwan, climate change, food shortages, rampant inflation, trade barriers going up, and internet bans and restrictions, who in their right mind would think about having kids?

Our governments failed to prepare for climate change and are now hell bent on policies that lead to war, restrictions, hunger and poverty. What do they expect? They ruined the planet. We are all buckling up and putting our tin hats on to try to survive. And that's not just in Japan.

So there will be 100% employment, and with the shrinking population, plenty of food available.

Don't forget the planet will also be warmer, lower heating bills, longer growing seasons and more space in general.

so she is top LDP member and she did NOTHING about that,just saying things all we know for years.

LDP is all but cheap talk and no action.

They actually have action. The LDP is exceptional at selling Japan away for foreign elites.

They're probably the world champions at groveling at the feet of their masters like the Unification Church or Americans.