Japan’s falling birth rate isn’t new, but it is a matter of concern. A national newspaper of the Eastern nation called the phenomenon “a state of emergency”.
In 2012, USA’s New York Times raised the question of whether Japan can survive without babies or not.
Japan’s declining fertility rate seems to be found in other nations across continents as well.
Japan’s first fertility crisis
Japan has been facing a fall in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for a long time now. The matter first came to light in 1989 when the TFR in the eastern nation was as low as 1.57. At the time it was called the “1.57 shock”. It had fallen from the 1966 record, of 1.58.
The reason back then was that couples were not having kids due to a superstition based on an anomaly in the Chinese Zodiac.
From the 1990s, the government tried its best to do something about the issue. They deployed task forces, and did campaigns, and government support programs over 30 years without any significant change.
In 2005, Japan saw its record low TFR which was 1.26. In 2021, it was recorded as 1.3. Although there was a minimal rise, the numbers never touched 1.5 for three decades.
Probable cause of the issue
According to Japan’s statistical analysis and correlations, the issue of declining fertility has a connection with Japan’s economy. The “1.57” shock happened when the economy was at its prime.
An inverse relationship between wealth and fertility can be tressed in Japan. While Okinawa, the nation’s poorest region has a high fertility rate, Tokyo has the lowest.
Fertility observations in Other Nations
The relationship between wealth and fertility is applicable to other nations as well. Singapore, which is richer than Japan, has an even lower fertility rate. Nations in the EU have low TFR as well. Nations such as Portugal and Croatia are as low as Japan in terms of fertility. Most nations are below 2.1 TFR.
Mikko Myrskla, director of Rostock stated, “Economic conditions are not so helpful in explaining persistent trends.” Rostock is a Germany-based Max Plunk Institute of Demographic Research.
According to many western media houses, the reason for the economic and fertility correlation lies in Japan’s ill practices. These include excessive overtime work and long kindergarten waiting lists.
