The fluctuating daycare fee is insane. It's crazy how their government wants them to have more children but refuse to make it easier for them to do so.
The #1 cause of all of this is the rejection of the cultural values which made Japan what it is in the first place. Japan had families living together under one roof which easily supported both child rearing, expenses and education. When you take the crash course of that into living in couples in apartments where they charge rent of course they can barely manage and only the landlords make bank. Japan just needs to go back to what it was.
Its wild to imagine that they literally would rather one parent be unemployed or underemployed in the declining population crisis when that is literally the outcome they are trying to avoid??? They want more people working.......let them work?
What would be insane is the opposite policy, in which low to middle-class would-be parents receive less assistance for childcare than higher-earners. Not only is helping those who need it the least an inefficient use of the country's economic activity, it would also create additional stresses on the poor and middle class. In such a scenario, the "best" of bad outcomes might be a counterproductive reduction in the birth rate, and in the worst case, it might result in more children being raised in households that can't afford to educate them or keep them out of trouble.
If population decline is such a problem , governments should prioritise making it far easier to have kids. Everything seems more important. Military budgets , net zero and so on. Why have kids when you and the child would suffer needlessly.
In summary japan conservatism (closed economy and they are so resistant to change even in their own companies) and its government failure to help its citizens is breaking japan And japan is using gambling and media (manga, anime, music, etc) to distract and make money from its citizens without helping them have money in the first place.
Don't use suffering as an excuse of not having children in marriage cuz Islam are conquering the whole world and forcing people to deny their own culture and beliefs in the name of Sharia-Law. That's why Europe countries such as Sweden has completely shut down the borders. Life is suffering and will always be, even if you don't have children.
@@fayelis No, we do by picking the reps. there's only half of us go to the vote everytime (worse, our youngsters almost never) that is why the house is so twisted. however not sure how is in your country.
The girl in white (2:43) is right if the government doesn't create a good standard of life where people can afford to have kids and own things then OFCOURSE the population will decline because people today are educated and think about the costs and time that goes into having a family.
Correct. Also, our modern generation teaches us the value of personal agency and personal choice. That’s why having Children is a losing strategy or inferior Life prospect.
She seems like she learned a lot about it.. and thought a lot about that.. I think she might want a kid so much that she has to think that much about it.. Kinda sad
this interview has been done 10 years ago, and will be done in the next 10 years. why? cause government doesn't care. they just want to win. how do u win again? cater to majority population. who is the majority population in Japan? not young people. which mean, they will create policy that cater to older generation which has a little if no benefit at all to the younger generation. making their life harder and not wanting to have kids.
Maybe. But the population didnt drop as much as it will in the next 10. The Baby Boomer generation is the largest and they're just now starting to decline. 2040 will be a scary time for 日本
The government care they even wanted to make a ministry that help people to have children but judging by past program i don’t think they get it what’s the core problems: it’s high cost for renting/properties, living costs, and children education.
That's the same story globally. The older generation are in power and look out for their own interests. And most of the time their interest is keeping their money.
@GoralischeSSso you actually wanted to work in a factory from the age of 5 till death make 15 babies and have those also work in factories from 5 till death. I rather go for actually living and have kids that also can live properly but you do you.
From the perspective of a foreigner who's currently pregnant in Japan; while money definitely plays a big role here, I also think that there's much more to it. Since becoming pregnant, I have more or less been treated as nothing more than an incubator for my child and I have faced a lot of bullying from doctors and hospital staff throughout my pregnancy. From what I understand after talking to other mothers (both foreign and Japanese), this is unfortunately not that uncommon and I think that that can put a big role in discouraging women from wanting (more) children. I know for a fact that it has definitely turned me off from the idea of having more children after this one because I truly don't want to have to go through this again. My daughter is due next month so now the focus has begun to shift from my pregnancy to the birth itself and that's an entirely different issue all on its own. Even my husband (Japanese) who's the biggest cheerleader for the medical industry was turned off by the whole experience when the midwife took us on a tour of the birthward a few weeks ago. After we left, he told me that he felt like we had entered a baby-factory where the focus seems to be more on just "getting it done quickly" than what is actually best for mother and child. My own feelings and wishes regarding my birth has been dismissed in favor of what is the most convenient for the staff and their routine and they have made no effort hiding that fact either. A lot of what is done routinely to women during pregnancy and childbirth (whether beneficial or not) are things that the woman has no say in and will be done whether she wants them or not (like episiotomies which are infamously common here). Questioning a routine or treatment isn't encouraged either, they just expect you to shut your mouth and do as you're told. Of course there are exceptions to this and there are hospitals and doctors that are absolutely wonderful and caring to the women they take care of, but unfortunately, my experience seems to be a very common one - especially if you happen to live outside of the bigger cities, like I do. And of course it doesn't end at birth either but the woman in question will still have to face other issues even after the child is born, especially if she happens to be a single mother. All in all, I have to say that Japan doesn't make it easy for a woman to become a parent, even if you put the issue of finances to the side. After having gone through this experience myself, I truly can't fault anyone for not wanting to go through it themselves, especially not if they plan on having more than one child as well. The way I see it, the subsidies and all are great, but if they want more women to want to become mothers then there needs to be a huge overhaul in how mothers are actually treated from the moment of conception as well. There needs to be support extended beyond the financial parts of motherhood as well.
Not a mother, but I will add that, much as I love Japan, gender equality is definitely something they are behind in compared to much of the rest of the developed world. When a woman raises a child, she stops being an individual, and her identity becomes "mother". Even within couple dynamics, she stops being a wife and desirable, her identity that of the caregiver of the child(ren). This doesn't only happen in Japan, of course, but a number of gender issues (such as your experience with hospitals) are at play here.
@feylights166 the change in identity happens for everyone. You turn into a mother. But the change doesn't feel like a burden after you get used to it. Everyone deals with it differently. But there is definitely the loss of you. At first you don't even notice it because once you give birth your entire world is centered around your baby. Nothing else matters. Your soul focus is your baby.
I saw a Brazilian mom in Japan, she said she was so traumatized about the way she was treated in the birth, that she never wanted to be pregnant again…
I'm Japanese and I've never heard of a pregnant woman being harassed by a doctor or nurse in a hospital. If that is true, reviews of that hospital would blow up and even make news headlines.
As a japanese myself, l really wanted to have 3 or 4 children to help japan in these crisis and l really want to have 3 or 4 children in my own perspective,but the problem is l can't raise a child by my average salary and my boyfriend is just starting to work as an IT engineer and we're planning to get marry in this year.The only hindrance that me and my partner facing is the inflation...blame all in "inflation" and l know this is inevitable but l hope japanese government try to solve this issues,For example that decrease the tuition that many Japanese paying and all the essential items need to be revise the cost and instead to make more job why not enhance the quality of work more for a long term.
Girl you are thinking too much about it. Just have children and the government will help you with extra money, so you can use them for children without using your own or your husbands salary.
I live in Finland, my husband and I have 3 children (hopefully another one day too), we really had to lower our expectations of our standard of living. We just aren't as wealthy as a generation as our parents were. That was a hard shock to take but we still have a good life. We live in a rural area of Finland, I don't think we could afford kids if we lived in the capital. When you are surrounded by everyone having new fashionable items and luxuries it's easy to become demotivated and overwhelmed but when you are out in nature everything seems more hopeful. Love from Finland, best of luck with your family!
@DuoLingoJP_098 your suggestions are fair, but one of the biggest problems Japan is having is the government doesn't have much money in its pocket to do what you suggested. Japan is currently carrying a very large sum of debt, and there's very little the Japanese government can do to help solve the problem.
@@nienor1510 You went directly to one of the main problems causing population decline... Big cities, too many other things to spend on. Humanity, it turns out, is really fragile - no better than most other animals that can only lightly handle disruptions to the environment before things start to go awry.
Great interviews. The couple with the children was by far the most realistic. The impact of such a large population drop will be devastating. It will be even more so on a country like Japan that is heavily invested in a large social welfare system. Without new people paying into the system it will rapidly start to fail in various ways, e.g. the ability to pay promised pensions, medical care, childcare etc.
@@ne_alexaFrom a selfish perspective, yeah. Those without kids will be the worst off. At least if you have kids you’ll have the possibility of having people to help care for you in old age, without them you’ll be left to die as the social safety net collapses. Most younger people aren’t thinking about what life will be like for them decades down the road, when the truly dire consequences of these choices start to play out.
He will never afford to give them the lifestyle they deserve. I never get the people who get more kids than they can afford to raise. And 2 parents can't raise that many kids. In the old days yes because the entire neighborhood raise the kids supported each other etc Thus the saying it takes a village to raise kids But with today individualism and isolation it's just unfeasible Therfore that person is actually hurting those kids by having so many
@@Cafeston Would him saying he wanted 5 sons make you uncomfortable as well? How about if a woman said she wanted 5 sons, does that make you uncomfortable? Stop your pre-disposed notions.
it's not just in japan. Many developed countries are having this issue too! Inflation is one of the reasons why many families can't affford to have kids... rent prices, food, gas, basic necessities have all inflated, but wages haven't kept up.
What are you talking about? The problem is people don't have enough money? Then why the people in poorest countries in the world have the most children? There is a reverse correlation everywhere in the world, the richer the society is, the less children they have, so the problem is def. not a money one.
@@Lubet0TheGreatPeople in poorer countries tend to have more kids cause they tend to be less educated and don't have free birth control or anything readily available.
Japan is one of the most densely populated country in developed world and birthrate are falling in all of them but in western countries immmigrations fills the gap but local ethnic groups are on decline.
@@reneeroesler9944 That is not the reason. Having kids as soon as possible is natural, but in western countries we are taught that its a setback and your happiness comes first. And happiness doesn't equal having family and kids, grand-kids anymore. It means owning things, doing things. You hear this in the video as well. The instinct to reproduce is being pushed down, but it comes back with a revenge (especially for women). The increase of having a first kid past 35 or even 40+ is concerning. Birth defects are on the rise since people are having kids later and later.
1. Increase minimum annual vacation off work from the minimum 10 days to 30 days-Parts of Europe have done this and saw birth rates spike as a result. 2. Strict fines to companies for every vacation day employees do not use. 3. Daycare for ages 0-5 fully paid for by taxes. *Bonus: - Raise the stagnant minimum wage - Health insurance paid at 100% for everything child birth related - Set reasonable and adequate immigration targets
The government is currently giving fines for those companies in which employees don't take at least 5/10< days of annual paid leave. However, because people still won't use their paid leave days, some companies have a policy in which they randomly decide when to use their employee's days. So you might find a random day off in your shift which you really didn't need that much. That also affects those workers, especially foreign, that want to save their days off to use all together for a proper vacation or to go back home. Also, companies might decide to use only 5 days out of those 10 days and the remaining ones are left to be expired. Some kinder companies might accept their employees' request of not deciding their annual paid leave, others though look at the collectivity and refuse such requests. It's even worse than you might think.
Europe has all this, our birthrates are quickly approaching Japans levels (or are already there in some parts of Europe). What makes you think these things will solve the issue in Japan when it obviously hasn't happened in Europe? I'm also interested in where you're going to get all the money to do this, since you only propose things that will increase costs, but nothing that would increase revenue.
In which European country has the fertility rate spiked? They’re all whining about constantly declining TFR. Even Hungarian tax breaks haven’t worked. Poland a super catholic country has a TFR of 1.10 💀
more taxes to pay lol. the problem is not financial, its cultural. even in the nordic welfare states population is declining. california recently raised minwage to $20 and 10,000 jobs were lost as a result. the problem is that we have a shitty culture that values short-term gratification, sexual openness, rising porn addiction and participation in sex work(only fans), women arent looking for long term partners because theyre being told they dont need that so its one night stand after one night stand, and men are being demasculated and convinced everything is their fault and, all with decreasing participation in religion affiliation and declining mental health. our liberalized culture is simply incompatible with a successful society. theres a popular theory about the life cycles of empires and what starts the decline is this "And what marked the penultimate age? Defensiveness, pessimism, materialism, frivolity, an influx of foreigners, the Welfare State, and a weakening of religion. To what did he attribute this decadence? Too long a period of wealth and power, selfishness, love of money, and the loss of a sense of duty." we have entered the "age of intellect" where we think we are smarter than everyone who has come before. if that doesnt describe our culture to a T then i dont know what else would.
2:02 the lady I believe said it how it is. If Japan wants to address the problem of the declining population/ birth rate they have to improve the quality of life. doing so to create an environment where people can actually have children. along with what the points the couple with a child(ren) states, and the issues they have faced with childcare.
I encourage @Asian Boss to do a similar street interview in Sendai. When I lived there from 2021-2023, there were families and kids everywhere. I think the attitude is very different outside of Tokyo (IE: the rest of the country)
Also the town of Nagi in Okayama Prefecture where people are having 3-4 children because of generous benefits. The town decided over 20 years ago to make it a priority to encourage larger families, and they have succeeded. Now are being visited by delegations from all over Japan as well as South Korea, seeking to copy their approach. Hopefully it will succeed.
Ahah, his boss 'make a family, your productivity will rise, you will get a raise (not wage, just primes) and the boss will get a better position to get to the upper level'. Just excellent!
World has bigger issues lol frankly I don't care. And this video was brainless. Asking what 5-10 humans think doesn't represent entire nation it's called cherry picking
note for team Asian Boss --> i think it'd be better putting the subtilte by the actual prices in yen. As viewer, we often try to compare between their expected costs and the average life costs in japan so it'd be hard if we read it in USD
im american but i agree. right now the yen/usd is going up and down. i can understand japanese enough to get the gist of it but if any were to use a frame of reference they may not acknowledge the price of inflation
I wanna be friends with the lady who said that although her country is in decline, she will prioritize her own happiness. Its a breath of fresh air to hear someone less patriotic and attached to the idea of 'nation' over self, and it heartens me to know that most of these people recognize the gross income issues associated with the population crisis.
Yeah sort of. If everyone has that mindset than civilization as we know it is over. so idk how good of a mindset it actually is long run. Selfishness has it's place, but if we want a modern society to keep functioning we need enough people to maintain it
@@dsn1460 Governments have an interest in fertility rates because they have significant implications for the country’s future, including its economic stability, workforce, and demographic makeup. This is their responsibility.
@@dsn1460 I don’t think you understand what governments are for… Taxpayers fund the government, and in return, the government is responsible for using those funds to improve the lives of its citizens and ensure the country’s overall well-being.
This is true, if I have children I want them to do whatever they want because it's my choice to have them. Otherwise I'd rather than have them if I can't fully provide whatever they want/need.
@@bertr6741 The cost of living in Japan is high only in relation to the stagnation of wages. But as you can see from a lot of the comments on RU-vid and social media, the corporate media and governments have pulled the wool over the eyes of large swaths of the population and convinced them that it has nothing to do with money...
Super interesting video! Being from Sweden, I have a hard time understanding the way Japan is approaching this. So, if I am understanding this correctly: 1. You pay for the delivery of your child. 2. You pay for any complications during delivery of your child. 3. If you have health (birth?) insurance that covers (hopefully) all of the above. 4. There is no roof on the amount you pay for child care. 5. There is no pressure on companies to provide good support for leaving to tend for your child, or for your return to the work force when the child is old enough. No wonder people are wary of getting kids. What about health insurance for kids, do you have to pay that from day one, or is there an age until the government covers for the health of your child with free health care?
The birth rates in your country aren't that higher and I suspect that if it weren't for the high fertility of immigrants, your country birth rate would be even lower than Japan's. People can complain about health insurance and daycare subsidies, but seems clear that's not the problem at all, because the countries that have more generous policies face the very same demographic problems.
Literally the percentage of white people in your country is shrinking. I wonder if Sweden's 'white birth rate' is actually higher than Japan's. It's really funny how Westerners think that low birth rates only happen in Asia.
Great interview with the follow up questions to their "ideas". The girl wearing pink had a lot of good ideas to tackle the issue. All economically advanced countries have fewer children because it costs a lot of money to raise and worry about children entering prestigious universities. So sad they are so focused on just a few schools they can't take the time to enjoy their youth. I think folks were happier when they were just farmers living in a multi-generational household. It was more physically demanding, but probably more fulfilling. No trying to *keep up with the Joneses* , just plant, grow, harvest, and repeat.
My wife has pressured me on multiple occasions to leave my job in the US and find a position working a GS job in Japan in order to permanently move our family out there (she is Okinawan). She feels our daughter will be better off with childcare being much more affordable than what we have in the States. Watching this only reaffirms what I have already known. My wife is mistaken. Life in Japan would be much easier with my California salary. The average career opportunity in Japan does NOT pay California salaries.
U made a good call not going to japan it's decaying as a country Japanese pride patriotism ego and oblivious ignorance makes them not understand the economical implications of their hedonistic lifestyle I recommend everyone watch a video that explains the problems with countries with a very large aging population and a very small young population like japan and south korea. Because so many people seem to not realize the issue is so big [How the Coming Population Collapse Will Change Society Forever] RU-vid Channel name @Moon
Japan is having a marriage crisis, young people arent interested in marriage, and some dont even date. People also dont want to have kids and a tradiotional life. There is a job crisis, many young men cant even get a job, and if they get a job it isnt well paying and sometimes isnt related to their career. In summary japan conservatism (closed economy and they are so resistant to change even in their own companies) and its government failure to help its citizens is breaking japan And japan is using gambling and media (manga, anime, music, etc) to distract and make money from its citizens without helping them have money in the first place.
she's a hedonist indivualistic person Guess what people. If everyone was like her. No bridges would be built. No trains would be invented. Everyone would eat work sleep have fun etc Pathetic comment u must live in a selfish country to think she's wise Now can u and her live life like that in other countries yes. Can u do it In japan yes it's ur life and freedom to do so. But it's gonna have a big negative effect in japan. Food for thought
100% correct. Same with us. Double income, university graduates, wealthy and no Children by choice. We don’t even want pets. Just enjoy life and live until the next Rebirth.
The thing is it might not even be true. SHe prefers to have fun now. She doesn't consider the fun later. Also how fun would it be to have no one that cares for you or can contribute to the countries economy and workforce later. Yes short term it is more freedom, but long term with the same strategy applied to all her friends and family everyone is more miserable than ever. And Japan is one of those countires that are very proud of their culture, so a migration would not be as appreciated to solve a population crisis. I am sorry but you going to a few more places and meet a few more people or have a little more luxury pales in comparison to making another human being. Having more human time and intelligence contributing to society is so much more valuable. I think people nowadays don't have any clue what generations before us did. Can you image that in most aspects their lives are harder and enjoyed less luxury. Countries needed more people to send to war for better chance to win. And women still did it. Yes it is challenging for women at that time and you might not want it, but nowadays it won't come to that extent. Your reason to have children is to make life better for everyone around you including yourself as well, not to send him to maybe die in a war. Also unlike the generation before we now have video calls and social media to at least be in contact with everyone you want. Yes living expenses sre high and maybe the biggest reason why people aren't having as many children, and that is something that needs to be solved collectively as well. PEople need to be involved in politics and not say it is boring or I don't care I want my travels and luxury goods.
@@Lucky55Blue the thing is...people change, they definitely will, in lots of aspects of life. Just because we are young, we may still wants to do everything we wants, trying everything, explore everything, but untill when? by the age going forward, your circle of friends will getting smaller and smaller, and at some point "you will stop", unless you don't really have a clear vision about life, I think choose not to having children in my own opinion, still tends to be the wrong option, by any means. I have lots of friends who married already and when they have children, they mostly have the same regrets like "I wish I meet my children sooner" something like that. Of course cost of raising children is a big factor (that should overcome by the government) but I mostly tend to think raising a family is "a step" in human life.
My family went to visit Japan recently. I was surprised when I learned from our guide that certain services in Japan are socialized. i.e., the lower your income, the lower your rent, daycare, etc.. The parents in the video likely did some calculations, and found out that they would be better off if the mom had no income to avoid higher rent and daycare. I'm guessing what she was referring to as "part-time" work is a side hustle that would be off-the-books to keep the cost of rent, daycare, and other services low.
Explanation, where you missed about "part-time". It's not off the books. It's official, but reduced hours. Full time in 1st world counts 35-40 hours per week. Part-time means you work less hours and get proportionally less pay. You aren't using your full potential, but have more time for another hustle or endeavours.
@@by-vs5dmJapan is a country with a big population so there are people having multiple kids who make up for the ones that don't have kids doesn't change the fact that their population is decreasing
this whole dating/relationship/baby problem seems to be a trademark of our generation. In Germany it may not be as bad as japan right now but in a couple more years it might become as bad. What i also noticed is that the us is having a major dating problem
@@Foreignmonk34 lack of community and high costs of living are the main issue. big cities put people in an environment where they're just isolated fending for themselves while trying to make a living and in developed countries with basic education that means people know not to have children in these conditions. meanwhile smaller cities care much more about the well being of their inner communities while providing a good life for much cheaper.
That bit about daycare prices changing based on household income is phucking bullshyte. How could the government think that is okay? Especially with such a low ceiling ($60,000). Absolutely ridiculous, no wonder nobody wants to have kids.
It's ridiculous even before that. Pregnant women and their fetus are not covered by Healthcare, so you're paying that out of pocket in full. And pray there aren't any complications as the hospitals will take advantage and try to milk you.
@@tman229a good chunk of that can be covered by vouchers, which pretty much all municipal offices give out to pregnant women to help cover the costs of prenatal care As for costs associated with birth, there is more paperwork involved, but the local government will cover almost all, if not all of the costs associated with birth
Then cancel the transfer from young to old people through Pensions and Healthcare expenditure and no one would give af, trust me. The problem is that you people think you should get all that when you don't contribute anything. So better start saving up, will you? You're talking now but in 20y this will be a public, mainstream debate and there will be repercussions. I told you. Chances are you'll need a lot of support when you age so don't come crying with your broken hip and diabetes and whatnot. Because no one will give af. Just go through your savings, and sfter those 1.5y you go to the forest and compost yourself OK? Because the labour force, the children of today, don't owe you a f'in thing. They'll let your body rot in the streets and they're right to do so.
As a Japanese who has worked mainly in Africa and other places known as the developing country. I have faced many rip-offs, attempted robberies and life-threatening situations in my work and life in there. I think population decline is a problem, but I'm against the policy of more immigration to solve the shortage. It is a fact that labor shortages lower the profits of companies and stop the country from growing. And first people to be affected by this are mainly the big companies and the capitalists who own those shares. They are the ones who make a big fuss about population decline. Of course I know that our lives will also be affected afterwards. But for me, as an ordinary person, what matters most is the public safety and a society where children can go out safely, which will obviously collapse after a massive influx of developing country people for cheap labor. For me, not being able to buy luxury goods than I can now and having to live on a limited budget are small problems compared to the worsening security situation of society. Japan is not a naturally safe country, it is the result of a thorough education of its people in morals and manners in every household and school. In Japan, causing trouble to strangers, no matter how big or small, is considered the most shameful of acts, and anyone who does it is considered immature as a human being. And it is considered one of the greatest shames for the whole family. This extreme way of thinking is not easily accepted by people from other countries, but it is a fact that keeps Japanese society safe. When I say this, some people may call me racist because it sounds like I'm saying that people from developing countries can't follow good morals, but it's not about skin color, it's about culture and way of thinking. And these things cannot be instilled overnight. It is disgusting to see the daily media propaganda about the declining population and the need for 'technical trainees' from developing countries. They are advertised as doing a social good, but what they are doing is the same as slave plantations, giving them a house to live in and an illegally low wage. Japanese people are already working for cheap enough wages and have the 11th largest population in the world. It is a lack of effort on the part of the companies and greed on the part of the capitalists to want even cheaper labor. It is all for their own benefit and they have no right to say they are doing good for society and people from developing countries.
I'm an American, but I grew up in germany. These videos sometimes kind of remind me of germany in a weird way. Like, you will still find all kinds of conflicting opinions on things, but by enlarge people are almost always well informed on issues. I feel like this is not the case in the US.
I think most Americans are very informed of what is going on. But being such a big country with broad demographics and financial systems it may vary state to state or even in cities within that state.
4:59 jfc what a ridiculous system... so people drop out of the labour market because the increase in daycare fees is so much greater thereby systemically *increasing* prices for everyone while also not contributing to the tax base. Maybe the government should make the lower fee the fee that everyone pays...?
That's assuming the extra tax revenue you gain from factory farming your children so that the mother can work makes up for the problems that leads to down the road.
13:20 wow that's was rivh of that dude's boss to say he should start a family knowing very well they aren't giving their employees a proper salary in order to raise kids. It irks these employers that the younger generation isn't having kids so they can't force them to work for unpaid overtime and threaten to fire them if they don't 🙄 People with kids are usually force to stay with a horrible job because they can't afford to leave but when you're single it's much easier to fend just for yourself.
The thing is no one can really afford to have kids or live on their own with the cost of living in the world, it's insane how high the inflation has been. The cost of food and just things in general has been rough.
Trust me it's not inflation it's the greed of the elites. Covid was a reset to price change the earth making all humans salaries cut by 20-40% depending on ur relative inflation in ur nation. Don't believe go look at turkey inflation it's horrendous almost 50%
I think one of the problems is that the truly magical moments with children happen in the privacy of your own home, in the most relaxed, least rushed time of day, when your children are in their element and you’re not stressed about their behavior. For us, that’s bedtime stories. And that’s simply never going to be filmed and shared on social media. But the sparks that fly in those moments, cannot be put into words ❤
I have lived in Japan for 10 years and I quit marrying and having a family because there are so many more issues in the society that discouraged me of raising a child here. Being a parent is already hard enough, thinking about what my child will have to go through was the deal breaker.
I work in childcare for mostly upper middle class parents. There’s no birth rate crisis when parents are comfortable enough to have a career, children, and afford childcare all at the same time. Heck, one of our kids was a frozen embryo once. You know how much that costs? The overpowered corporations making money off of underpaid labor are contributing to the struggles of middle class and lower. Don’t blame women for being “selfish” now that some finally get to do the things men have always been allowed to do-namely, choose our lifestyle.
All that brings them is 6 out 10 being on some form of anti deppressants and other drugs just to cope with reality. Meanwhile young mothers don't even need external vitamins because their hormone levels and life satisfaction is in healthy levels.
@@SkySpiral8 And those go away, if they even occur, after 2 to 6 weeks. What is your point, to deny happiness for decades for a potential depression of 2 months though which your husband and child will help you on every step?
Not Japanese nor do I live in Japan but it is extremely hard to find housing where I live in Canada at the moment. Housing has been extremely neglected here yet the government continues to complain about the low birth rate but instead of fixing it and making the country a pleasant place to live for the people who are already here they want to bandaid it with foreigners and look the other way. What will Canada do when they discover that the foreigners quickly run into the exact same issue and learn it’s not worth it for them to have children also? We need more space for our growing family but cannot find a bigger home because the vacancy rate in our area is .1%. Where would the baby go? We wanted to have more children but decided to get a vasectomy and focus on the one child we can manage. The government will soon have to learn that you cannot fix the population crisis with just foreigners. If Canada is a hard place to live the problem will only continue.
14:22 She gave an insanely spot-on answer here that will go over many politicians' heads. Declining population, and yet crowds are getting worse. We all already knew this but the gov't really needs to double down on encouraging investment in more sparely populated areas and do whatever it takes to undo hypercentralization. Right now only retail megacorporations like AEON are taking that responsibility, and we need something more meaningful than that. While Tokyo's density is managed incredibly well it's unsustainable from a QoL perspective and will continue to give people every reason to not start a family. Sure lots of people realize this, and small-scale machiokoshi efforts have been impressive, but as of now it's not nearly enough. When I visit rural areas they absolutely have the right mindset within the scope of what they can do, but Tokyo is just too powerful at the moment and is devouring the country inside-out.
The general sentiment is that people dont think that having a family can bring happinenss. The over emphasis on work leaves little time to enjoy what makes having a family so great, and when they already know that they're happy spending money on luxury goods, it has to be hard to imagine that the trade of luxery for a family is worth it. I do think that many people are mistaken on the costs though. Or at least not percoeving it correctly. That 130,000 or what ever cost of having a kid is likely through their life time. If you split that up across 18 years, its around 7,000 a year which should be within budget for many people.
Lol thats assuming you get paid well enough, most people arent, and your kid doesnt have special needs and/or interests. Many peoplelive paycheck to paycheck already, and dont have much to spare beyond that.
Even in first world countries people are paid minimum wages or worse. With the cost of life they go into debts. Prospects to rise children are really bad when just the rent and food cost are unbearable.
@@ShaiyanHossain yeah, but you forget that Japan ranks among the highest for spending on luxury goods. of course, there are plenty of people that aren't making enough money. it's silly to say otherwise. Notice in the original comment I say "for many people" meaning that naturally there are those that don't fall into this category of being able to afford it. but once again, there are many people that make it work on smaller salaries, it all depends on what your priorities are.
The lady in pink said something that it is very true and most people avoid to put the finger on it: in 2024 the narrative is that having kids its an inconvenience and a pain overall. That your life ends and with such mentality people won't even consider it.
Please note the following when watching these interview videos: It appears that they rarely, if ever, interview typical office workers from medium to large companies (referred to as "salarymen" in Japan). While the responses from the interviewees may be truthful, they do not seem to represent the majority in Japan.
The issue is simple to understand. Old men make the govt policies. These old men do not understand how to raise a family, nor do they ask women how to improve things. They spend money on weapons, bridges and roads to nowhere yet at the same time claim there isn't enough money for day care for example. Its so easy to see through the lies of the LDP. Japan does not embrace change so its doubtful things will change much at all. We can always hope for more, but to expect it is simply foolish.
Such an insightful interview of Japan's current state - especially coming from the people themselves. General take was for the Gov't to better the quality of life (higher salary, better health insurance coverage, etc.) which in turn could address young people to reproduce and reinstate familial values
Those things cost lots of money. The government can give that to the people, but the taxes will become a enormous burden to these very same people. With high taxes we have high cost of living, which is an obstacle to people create their families.
Everything comes back to wealth inequality. Back when there weren't ultra billionaires and an actual middle class, families were abundant. Back in the 60's and 70's, a person with a high school degree could work in a factory and make enough to buy a house, two cars, support a family, and the wife could afford to stay home with their kids. Fast forward to today, we're up in arms about paying a $20 minimum wage when median rent has jumped up into the thousands. It doesn't matter how hard that Walmart worker or Amazon factory worker works when homes cost half a million or even a million+ depending on your state. We need to eat the rich. Getting wealthy is fine but nobody needs billions in generational wealth. Raise the taxes on rich people. Taking care of your grandkids is fine. But raise inheritance taxes so you're not creating a ruling class that stays in power for 10 generations. Build more houses. Create rules to make it more expensive for foreign ownership of homes. Encourage and subsidize fields like health care and nursing... more money in STEM... we don't need a gazillion English Literature or Sociology majors. And please give public teachers a substantial raise (along with higher standards to become a teacher) so we get the best talent instructing our next generation.
I agree. The problem is the government is owned by those ultra rich. And any policies that the government try to do to shorten the gap of wealth will be seen as "socialist" by the people. it's because of US history as successful democratic nation. free market only works to a point, market can't grow indefinitely.
True but sadly will never ever ever ever happen. 0.1% of earth owns 99.99% of earth And the 0.1% of earth are more powerful than the 0.9% of earth. So much so that if the top 0.9% of earth and the 99% of normal humans combined they couldn't do anything against the 0.1%
Agree with most of this but there are not a gazillion literature and sociology majors. Stem majors are more popular than humanities anyways and I still think they are also important in order to make sure the technology we make is being used ethically and effectively. Also, people should be able to choose their majors how they want instead of being told what to study in order to appease the needs of a capitalistic system. In general more funding for education for sure though!
@arisakawano6396 This isn't just the shortage of engineers. There is a shortage of health care professionals, yes? This includes nurses, doctors, caretakers. This will especially be important as the world population trends older and people live longer, with fewer young people to backfill. I would argue even teaching needs more teachers with STEM backgrounds because of the increasing number of complex subject matters, and the technical understanding to teach it properly. Everyone can choose their majors but we should have a longer term outlook. The government or corporations should incentivize and even subsidize the industries we need more people in. One of the criticisms in this video was that salaries remain stagnant. Eighteen year old college students have no idea how much income a family needs or how much money different occupations make. If there was more information and transparency about expected salary over time, it may encourage young people to prioritize longer term wealth and financial stability even if it's something "boring" like math or accounting. Can we agree that a good number of liberal arts majors choose their path not because of genuine interest, but because it's easier and less challenging? I want to remove these hurdles and get people into industries that are high paying and will need more people.
Well pre-50's most people didn't make it to old age. Even your children had a high chance of dying. In the Victorian era babies had a 50% of surviving. Some countries celebrate a baby's first 100 because it used to be that babies had a 50% of making it that far. The baby boomers came and medicine improved so much now everyone is surviving.
Another issue is the centralization. Everyone wants/needs to be close to Tokyo. There seems to be a lot of rural areas with low population in Japan. Decentralization surely should help.
1/3 of japan is empty because there are just no existing jobs available in these places. So the life cost and competition becomes utter madness and concentrated around mega cities such as tokyo
If they allowed us half Japanese people to have dual citizenship past the age of 22, I'd gladly come raise my kids there while my husband works remote getting paid in USD. I just want the option of being a citizen of both without renouncing my American citizenship.
Fleeing immigrants really are something. Why do you care about a country that you and your family abandoned just to live in the US? I don't understand the cowardly mentality.
I’ve noticed after watching this video and one similar about Korea and China, that the amount of money being mentioned to raise a child seems outrageous. I’m sure if people were to be asked these same questions in other countries that they would give large amounts as well, because they are clueless. If you want your children to have everything you want them to have and private schools then yes the cost will be large, but most families don’t and raise kids on small budgets. Kids most of the time bring happiness and so much joy that’s priceless, and support and love in your old age.
This always seems to be a trend with developed countries. I think another way of looking at it is aside from policies which is an aspect they can control is the culture, specifically work and dating.
The only reason that population decline is a problem is because we've built this economic system to depend on infinite perpetual growth, and have poor resources for taking care of the elderly. If the population were to naturally drop by half, the human race would still carry on. We aren't going extinct. In fact too many people can be a big problem. Let people live full happy lives, and the population will stabilize.
Even living in a densely populated country such as Indonesia as an Indonesian myself, the prospective of me having a family and raising children is unthinkable because of the chaotic situation in our country where corruption run rampant inside out. It is very though to live by myself, let alone raising future generation and let them shoulder my pain is horrendous.
So the problem is that there are too many old people (pensioners) compared to younger, working people. In the old days, 10 children were made, and now those 10 children are today's pensioners. Modern people in civilized countries have less than 2 children. It is not the fault of us young workers that the parents of current retirees made so many current retirees. Today's retirees demand a "living wage" from the youth, even though the youth is not obligated to support them. I would have a solution to this problem, but it would not be to the pensioners' liking... This is the same situation in my home country as well as in Japan. More immigrants are being admitted to my country, most of whom are unemployed - in other words, this has not saved the pensions of senior citizens. It's just making things worse.
Before people get in relationship without much considering financial situation, emotionl & physical comparability. But now work pressure don't let them spend time, expensive to look after children & their education or fail to understand pressure of partners in work raise misunderstanding among them. To have mental peace, it's being more suitable to remain single.
It's not a crisis. The world is overpopulated. It's a "crisis" for capitalists, because that system expects infinite growth with finite resources and dwindling opportunities and quality of life for laborers.
and in California, for a shitty studio apartment, you need to pay $1600 a month (generously low) and to even qualify you need to make 2-3x the rent, so my monthly income would have to be $4800 a month and my credit needs to be good. I really do like living my life in Japan at the moment but the problem is career advancement.
You can see this problem in many countries nowadays. Like.. "back then", one person, primarily the man was able to work and to have enough money for the whole family. Now the family shifts toward equality, which is good but it feels like in terms of living costs and how to cover them, this equality is a MUST so that you can have a family. Everyone needs to work for them to be able to cover the rent costs, the food costs, the school costs.. and so on.. Everything got expensive fast and most can't even afford own houses or apartements anymore. If you're lucky and you inherit a house then you can smile.. but not all the time because nowadays the houses can be fairly old and need to be upgraded which is very expensive too. I see this problem primarily in countries that are strong economy wise. They struggle to hold down the living costs which then end in the thought: I can't even afford a family, why go for it then? Plus obviously the change in opinion in newer generations. My mother got me with 17, fairly young.. back then it was relatively "normal" to get a child younger.. But now? They go to school, then study, then work and then they're 30++ ... Weird world haha.
No, I don't understand why people make excuses. We want to do more than just raise children. In the past, a woman's role was only to give birth to children. Women today have a choice
@@user-mv5bd4lx4u imo they have even less of a choice, Now It's A Necessity to do all of that if you wish to provide a good quality of life for your children and even than it's hard to find someone, date them long enough to know them well enough and by ++30 age it's gets harder to have children.
Well double the workforce and you half both the wage and housing supply. Globalism just made it worse by mass immigration and shipping production into cheap countries.
The biggest issue that i find on average is the centralization of industry and jobs in and around "mega cities" , like Tokyo for instance. Everything is too crowded and competitive for people to have a decent life.
Very good interviews. Respect all the different opinions on a profound life changing issue. Having kids, my life would be meaningless without them. But I respect it is not for everyone.
No need to reinvent the wheel, for a nation with a population in decline it's a matter of changing policies and creating opportunities for families. Provide childcare, care for women and subsidies for families. The hard part will be finding political consensus to implement such changes.
Unfortunately this is not just Japan dealing with this issue. Some countries in Europe face the same but what do governments expect when things get more expensive. It's already hard for young people without kids, now imagine with a family.
Here's how you fix the declining population, in general: 1. Fix socio-economic decline and inequality. 2. Fix jurisdictions and revise laws. 3. Revise and re-comprehend education as a whole. 4. Set strict punishments for bad work environments. 5. Focus on general mental health and the quality of the populace. 6. Destigmatize intimate relations and stop making people feel uncomfortable with it. 7. Provide future prospects and hope for better opportunities. 8. Fix the general lack of mutual respect between individuals of varying ages. 9. Hunt down those who try to exploit the youth for personal gain. 10. Cultivate a social structure that encourages resting and spending time with loved ones, rather than overwork. And so on... As you can see, this problem is far more multi-faceted than we'd like to believe, so simplistic solutions aren't going to cut it.
i wish there were a lot more people like the ones in the comments in charge of government leadership positions in countries, not just people who are middle and older aged people who don't know what it's like to not be able to afford rent or not be able to raise a child; also i wish therapy was more readily available and affordable so you could actually afford to go to therapists without having to worry about payments
Japan needs to have more publically funded daycare, primary and at least middle school. I heard from my Japanese friend that entry fees to middle and high school were $300 a few decades ago . I don't know what they are now.
There's plenty of near-free public schools in Japan. The people in the video are arrogant thinking they need to pay millions for private schooling. It's typical Japanese royalty-thinking.
lol she's the most selfish and childish of them all. Japanese fathers have become super soft nowadays. She would have gotten firm backhands a generation or 2 ago for the things she's saying. Very immature.
I agree she's a hedonist indivualistic person Guess what people. If everyone was like her. No bridges would be built. No trains would be invented. Everyone would eat work sleep have fun etc Pathetic comment u must live in a selfish country to think she's wise
Actually other developed countries have also under birth rate 2.0 and they import much more refuge than Japan. There is no big difference between Japan and these countries.
Propaganda for the poor white people who are constantly forcing Japan to immigrate. They want Japan to fail like Europe Yeah, don't worry, Japan isn't that stupid.
