Japan's prime minister says his country is on the brink of not being able to function as a society because of its falling birth rate.

Fumio Kishida said it was a case of "now or never."

Japan - population 125 million - is estimated to have had fewer than 800,000 births last year. In the 1970s, that figure was more than two million.

Birth rates are slowing in many countries, including Japan's neighbours.

But the issue is particularly acute in Japan as life expectancy has risen in recent decades, meaning there are a growing number of older people, and a declining numbers of workers to support them.

Japan now has the world's second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over - about 28% - after the tiny state of Monaco, according to World Bank data.

"Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society," Mr Kishida told lawmakers.

"Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed."

He said that he eventually wants the government to double its spending on child-related programmes. A new government agency to focus on the issue would be set up in April, he added.

However, Japanese governments have tried to promote similar strategies before, without success.

In 2020, researchers projected Japan's population to fall from a peak of 128 million in 2017 to less than 53 million by the end of the century. The population is currently just under 125 million, according to official data.

Japan has continued implementing strict immigration laws despite some relaxations, but some experts are now saying that the rules should be loosened further to help tackle its ageing society.

Falling birth rates are driven by a range of factors, including rising living costs, more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children.

Japan is home to the oldest population in the world, after tiny Monaco. It is recording fewer births than ever before. By 2050, it could lose a fifth of its current population.

Yet its hostility to immigration has not wavered. Only about 3% of Japan's population is foreign-born, compared to 15% in the UK. In Europe and America, right-wing movements point to it as a shining example of racial purity and social harmony.

But Japan is not as ethnically pure as those admirers might think. There are the Ainu of Hokkaido, Okinawans in the south, half a million ethnic Koreans, and close to a million Chinese.

Then there are Japanese children with one foreign parent, which include my own three.

These bi-cultural kids are known as "hafu" or halves - a pejorative term that's normal here. They include celebrities and sports icons, such as tennis star Naomi Osaka. Popular culture idolises them as "more beautiful and talented". But it's one thing to be idolised and quite another to be accepted.

If you want to see what happens to a country that rejects immigration as a solution to falling fertility, Japan is a good place to start.

Real wages haven't grown here in 30 years. Incomes in South Korea and Taiwan have caught up and even overtaken Japan.

But change feels distant. In part it's because of a rigid hierarchy that determines who holds the levers of power.

 https://www.bbc.com/news/ .. -asia-64373950

basically the entire developed world is in this same position. the economic model (capitalism) we've been running on since the 17th century will no longer be sustainable without enough wealthy consumers. people focus on the loss of labor with the shrinking of young people but that can be managed with automation/machines the real issue is the loss of consumers. people to actually buy the sh*t the machines make. it would make the machines no longer financially viable too. our entire economic system is going to look drastically different come 2100.

I feel like they say this every damn day since 2001

d.c. supreme said basically the entire developed world is in this same position. the economic model (capitalism) we've been running on since the 17th century will no longer be sustainable without enough wealthy consumers. people focus on the loss of labor with the shrinking of young people but that can be managed with automation/machines the real issue is the loss of consumers. people to actually buy the sh*t the machines make. it would make the machines no longer financially viable too. our entire economic system is going to look drastically different come 2100.

Universal Basic Income is all but guaranteed at this point yet, the powers to be want the landscape to change or all monies would be funneled to a few companies eventually and they don’t pay taxes. The push to have the wealthy begin to pay their fair share of taxes will occur when there’s blood in the streets. Capitalism will have to give some back to continue the system.

Metropolitan Japan is cyberpunk material fr.

promote company man work culture. Set up restaurants designed for people to eat alone. Promote weeb culture. Weird pr0n culture. Give these nerds robot waifus to fu*k and now your society can’t reproduce. Shocking

Broseph Stalin said promote company man work culture. Set up restaurants designed for people to eat alone. Promote weeb culture. Weird pr0n culture. Give these nerds robot waifus to fu*k and now your society can’t reproduce. Shocking

They want to control population growth but then they need more children to be groomed for wage slavery…

Is is Oochie-Wally or One Mic?!!

Damn We bout to lose our playstations

Perfect for the crypto millionaire BX passport bros!

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on one hand you hear the fear mongering about overpopulation

then on the other hand you hear about the fear mongering of economic collapse due to shrinking birth rates.

the truth of the matter is the fear that comes from a shrinking pool of consumers. They're losing cash cows which keep the system in place, but does not benefit the greater good.

Look at our healthcare/insurance industry in the US. The only way it can survive is if you have enough young people paying in to cover the old people. Why do you think people were forced into insurance under threat of tax penalties under Obamacare? You think it's because they really cared about the people? No, they knew they needed more revenue to keep the system afloat. Instead of changing the system (which has been hijacked by the corporations) they are initiating commerce by force.

Prad Bitt said Universal Basic Income is all but guaranteed at this point yet, the powers to be want the landscape to change or all monies would be funneled to a few companies eventually and they don’t pay taxes. The push to have the wealthy begin to pay their fair share of taxes will occur when there’s blood in the streets. Capitalism will have to give some back to continue the system.

u completely disregarded everything he said

If your country is losing people what the fu*k would universal basic income do ? a country is just taking money out they bank and giving it to the people, it doesnt solve any problem lol

America will be good for another 35-40 years before we have a potential population crisis. Many countries in the world have finally hit the moment where they are openly admitting their population is diminishing!

Explain to me how capitalism ties into why a country isnt encouraging the birth of children? China had a 1 child policy for 30 yrs, was that implemented bc of some capitalist system ? it was implemented bc Mao believed China wasnt going to do sh*t for the future so they wanted to make sure the country could manage the population they already had at the time. He feared if China had a boom in population that the country wouldnt grow as fast and everything would collapse.. Welp China guessed wrong & destined for a Collapse in the future

Give me a thick Jap I'll procreate

The1TruTrev said Damn We bout to lose our playstations

Yo c’mon man…

America about to have the same problems. That being said, I know what not to invest in when it comes to the stock market

Prad Bitt said Universal Basic Income is all but guaranteed at this point yet, the powers to be want the landscape to change or all monies would be funneled to a few companies eventually and they don’t pay taxes. The push to have the wealthy begin to pay their fair share of taxes will occur when there’s blood in the streets. Capitalism will have to give some back to continue the system.

if developed nations don’t have the young population to sustain the older population where will they get this universal basic income from?

ELAH MENTAT said They want to control population growth but then they need more children to be groomed for wage slavery… Is is Oochie-Wally or One Mic?!!

PISTOLWHIP said America about to have the same problems. That being said, I know what not to invest in when it comes to the stock market

We won’t the border is open it offsets the stalling birth rate and immigrants have a sh*t ton of kids

Gotta start leaving it in Japan

Booda Sack said We won’t the border is open it offsets the stalling birth rate and immigrants have a sh*t ton of kids

They're projecting by 2030 45% of women will be single and childless though...only time will tell. Either way its MOB though.

I know a few cats we can put over there. Them ninjas would go 40 for 40 from the field.

Blafy said I feel like they say this every damn day since 2001

They lost 3mil people since ‘17…

Pay me and ill move there and fu*k all the bi*ches

d.c. supreme said basically the entire developed world is in this same position. the economic model (capitalism) we've been running on since the 17th century will no longer be sustainable without enough wealthy consumers. people focus on the loss of labor with the shrinking of young people but that can be managed with automation/machines the real issue is the loss of consumers. people to actually buy the sh*t the machines make. it would make the machines no longer financially viable too. our entire economic system is going to look drastically different come 2100.

This is what happens when governments are pro corporate and anti citizens. They let corporations go and buy up everything and horde all the money while making it more expensive to live as a everyday person. Cost to much to have a kid these days

Japan has an extreme work culture with very long hours. They expect n*ggas to have a social life after working 70+ hours a week.

The country needs a workers revolution. They hoeing these n*ggas in japan

ignorant n*ggas blame it on weeb sh*t like hentai and etc but that aint the major reason why them n*ggas aren't having babies and yall know that. goofy a*s n*ggas just want to be ignorant.