That'd be great for Japanese society, but it wouldn't really solve the birthrate issue considering that most Western nations are in the same boat.
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The Atlantic: The Mystery of Why Japanese People Are Having So Few Babies
- Thread starter maxcriden
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That'd be great for Japanese society, but it wouldn't really solve the birthrate issue considering that most Western nations are in the same boat.
There are plenty of studies looking at these issues in western countries. Japan only gets singled out because it is the most extreme example, even if not by a lot.
Additionally, Japan seemingly is finding it difficult to tackle these issues, not even mitigation like attracting immigrants to live and stay in the country.
Additionally, Japan seemingly is finding it difficult to tackle these issues, not even mitigation like attracting immigrants to live and stay in the country.
BoogieWoogie
Banned
What's the social security tax in Japan?
Future generations would be fucked as shit if everyone's population continued to grow anyway.
Japan is 20 years ahead the west in that sense. We hid our heads under the sand with immigrants, but structural problems still are there (wages are shit) and on top of that you get social tensions which escalate right wing government and fascism (see the US).
Japan is 20 years ahead the west in that sense. We hid our heads under the sand with immigrants, but structural problems still are there (wages are shit) and on top of that you get social tensions which escalate right wing government and fascism (see the US).
DizzyCaffeine
Member
Just curious, but are there stay at home dads in Japan? Or is there a cultural stigma around that?
andythinkpad
Member
Toxic work culture, sexist culture. There's your answer. Boom!
I think there are plenty of herbivore men in America as well. Being a software engineer and working with a lot of successful men in their 20s and 30s who fit this description, I don't think it is just an economic issue either.
That is precisely the issue. Not just extinct in terms of population, but also in economic terms. If you don't replenish the working population, when the current population decides to retire then they have nobody providing net income to the economy.
leatherhat
Member
All industrialized countries will, in the near future, have to figure out a way to provide for people who can't work simply because said work doesn't exist anymore due to automation. Western countries are trying to create a salve via immigration but that's not going to work as jobs disappear. The old economic system is on its way out.
if automation takes over i imagine they would get much of that money from the companies that own all the machines. although you then run into a problem of not being able to sell goods to people because nobody has jobs to pay for those goods.
Living the Dream
Member
I'm quoting this because it's ducking genius
I Stalk Alone
Member
Oh indeed, it's definitely not anime. Disillusionment with economic prospects, and not wanting to slave away as participants in Japan's soul-crushing work culture, absolutely can't be ignored. When companies have you so busy that work IS your life, naturally it's that much less likely that anyone has either the time or energy to start a family, let alone care for one (as many have pointed out already).
I guess if they're all happening for the same reason, i.e. purely economic. But it seems to be a hybrid of issues. Economic problems are a commonality for sure, but they mix in with other flaws to create the situations now abroad.
DizzyCaffeine
Member
As someone with only one kid, how do you do it? Four sounds utterly terrifying.
andythinkpad
Member
You need to positive population grow to release the pressure on general inflation, manage state debt and bond and a lot bunch of critical economic stats.
lots of college grads can't even get good jobs
Jorok Goldblade
Member
Japan is the canary in the coal mine. While most western countries have destroyed the prospects of an entire generation economically, Japan is about ten years deeper in this mess than Europe and North America.
Masterspeed
Member
Aziz Ansari has a big part in his book Modern Romance about this after visiting Japan. It's wild.
Also, it's a great book, I completely recommend.
Also, it's a great book, I completely recommend.
Immigration is not going to solve this issue. If the current residents are having a hard time finding work how are more immigrants going to solve the problem? Great the population is not shrinking! Now we are drowning in poor people! /sarcasm
I think the U.S. is definitely already there (although maybe not as far along as Japan). There was that other recent article, which put the average Millenial yearly income at around ~$20,000, so we have our own generation of individuals who are struggling and avoiding having children.
This is anecdotal, but I'm 33 and just had my first child last year. Of my really close friends and family (which is an admittedly small group), I'm the only one with a child. I'm starting to feel bummed for my son, that it's looking like our whole family tree is going to end with him. I was hoping he would have cousins.
hipbabboom
Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
The solution is to create an environment where a working female professional with children can thrive then provide free turkey baster-modified Sybians to all women who join the workforce and then have the single men be employed by the cottage industry boutique designer sperm capsules (for the turkey baster - kinda like laundry detergent pods) that will form. Everyone is employed, children are born and no need for relationship bullshit. BOOM! I solved Japan. Nailed it! Now send me my trillions of yen for saving the Mu civilization.
SiteSeer
Member
been this way for 8 years already. and the building blocks have been in place for much longer.
A Grizzly Bear
Member
Since the 3.11 earthquake didn't shake up their sex lives the only thing left that can fix Japan is a war.
Twig and Berries
Member
It's the economy, stupid
Dash_Riprock
Member
Because automation will replace them soon. No need to worry about things like "livable wage" and "basic worker's rights."
jellies_two
Member
Some country has to figure out how to thrive with Zero or even negative population growth.
This idea that constant expansion is the only solution to every economic problem is destroying a world where space and resources are limited.
Nature - as in wildlife -is already squashed down with most biomass being purely for humans. It can't be the one to keep giving while every country needs to add 5% a year for ever.
Bubble Metropolis
Member
Unrelated to Japan encouraging immigration at large, but speaking as someone who lives in a rural area of Japan, the older generation is totally open to immigration, but only the sexy kind. I have a lot of students here whose fathers are closing in on 70, but they have 30-40 year Filipina mothers. Since the demographic of where I live skews so old, even the hostess clubs are staffed entirely by middle aged Southeast Asian women who are married to or are in the process of trying to get married to very old Japanese dudes.
It's apparently the same all over: old men whose wives have left them or passed on, and whose original children have become adults, but they feel they are still virile enough and wealthy enough to support another family in their old age.
Chuck Norris
Banned
I'm failing to see the problem with a country actually lowering it's birth-rate. The rest of the world could take note
The current implementation of the EITC screws over single people hard, but its even worse on noncustodial parents.
Zoe
Member
That doesn't solve the problem that people living in Japan right now aren't having babies.
Completely agreed.
The birthrate being on the decline doesn't mean the Japanese are going extinct, it just means a more manageable population.
I live near Chicago and the most of the suburbs close by are grotesquely populated shit holes with unreasonably high rent (not SF or Vancouver high though).
I wish we put a cap how many children one person is legally allowed to sire, no family should have over 5+ kids, especially families that can't afford them without assistance.
It's very much tied to the lack of relationships also.
But really, an AGING society is not a good thing. Life expectancy gets higher, but that means more elderly that are retired and need looking after. Who's going to do it?
i'm surprised that poster survived that garbage tbh
But really, an AGING society is not a good thing. Life expectancy gets higher, but that means more elderly that are retired and need looking after. Who's going to do it?
i'm surprised that poster survived that garbage tbh
Sunster
Member
education and availability of contraception for women is what would do that. places where women dont have access to education have the highest birthrates.
Co-signed, another foreigner living in Japan
I am amazed at how many people in the west ie. US and Europe are interested in the sex lives of Japanese people. You have non stop stories on news, media about how Japanese people are not having sex, here are some random Japanese we interviewed, stories like this. And then you have folks like you who don't live there, are not Japanese, but decry low birthrates or champion mass immigration for some reason. I mean why? Almost every post industrialized nation in the world has low birthrates. In the west it is stabilized by immigration, but you make it seem idiotic why? Do you see Japan having a far right resurgence like you see in Europe or the US now? Do you see a Japanese underclass of immigrants like you have in other countries in the west whether it is legal or illegal immigrants.
It is for Japan and the Japanese people to decide what they'll ultimately do, but I am honestly just amazed at how many white guys from the US or UK or EU have solutions on how to solve Japan's problems for them.
Also on the topic of immigration, just saw this lol
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201707270006.html
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201707270006.html
Sunster
Member
do you personally ever feel like you are not wanted there?
It was someone on twitter who said this, but really Japan was just ahead of the curve. Sort of like how our cell phone tech was 10 years behind theirs.
From last year: Why American women are having fewer babies than ever [Washington Post]
From last month: Americans keep having fewer babies as U.S. birthrates hit some record lows [L.A. Times]
From last year: Why American women are having fewer babies than ever [Washington Post]
From last month: Americans keep having fewer babies as U.S. birthrates hit some record lows [L.A. Times]
Ether_Snake
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Lower birthrates is a normal and needed adjustment since there will be a lesser need for labor in the future, and an optimal labor-needs to population count will increase the amount of resources available to fund a quality guaranteed supply of goods and services to the population.
Countries with large population counts and which are politically divided will be unable to adapt without facing major social and economic crisis.
Japan is still highly over populated. They should facilitate immigration for English teachers, since it's going to be vital to move forward with IT and AI, beyond that there isn't much of a need for immigration. They need English-speaking people in some sectors. Those two are the main sectors they need to focus on along with robotics and engineering, but English is really needed to keep a lead on the former.
Every year, this imbalance's impacts are going to grow to be more significant, in any country. Japan's problem isn't a birthrate one, it's an overpopulation one and a linguistic one.
Countries with large population counts and which are politically divided will be unable to adapt without facing major social and economic crisis.
Japan is still highly over populated. They should facilitate immigration for English teachers, since it's going to be vital to move forward with IT and AI, beyond that there isn't much of a need for immigration. They need English-speaking people in some sectors. Those two are the main sectors they need to focus on along with robotics and engineering, but English is really needed to keep a lead on the former.
Every year, this imbalance's impacts are going to grow to be more significant, in any country. Japan's problem isn't a birthrate one, it's an overpopulation one and a linguistic one.
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