Japan's huge sex problem just hit a 117-year low
Thomas Peter/Reuters
Until 2016.
With a week left in the year, officials predict only 981,000 babies will have been born - a dip of 25,000 from 2015. The death count, meanwhile, is around 1.3 million.
Japan's fertility crisis has been many years in the making. As older generations start to die off without younger generations starting families behind them, economists say Japan shows all the signs of a "demographic time bomb."
Without any intervention, Japan's economy will only continue to shrink.
"We will continue to put efforts into support for child-rearing," welfare minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki told The Japan Times.
Japan's fertility rate is among the lowest in the world, at just 1.4 births per woman. Sociologists have found populations stay steady when a country has at least 2.1 births per woman. Beneath that threshold, and countries are likely to see their populations start to decline, which Japan has.
Other countries face similar problems, including the US, Denmark, China, and Singapore - with fertility rates of 1.87, 1.73, 1.6, and 0.81, respectively - although Japan's case may be the most severe.
A 2016 study conducted by a Japanese research firm found that nearly 70% of unmarried Japanese men and 60% of unmarried Japanese women weren't in relationships. This is despite most people claiming they do want to get married eventually.
Japan has gone to some great lengths to boost its fertility rate to the goal of 1.8 births per woman by 2025, as set by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
For instance, the country is letting men play with dolls to get accustomed to fatherhood. And the government is organizing speed-dating events to help young people meet.
In the meantime, the time bomb has forced Japan to recognize the importance of innovation more than ever - specifically, with robotics technology. Without strapping young humans to do the work, machines may be the next best thing.
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- Foreign tourist arrivals in India will cross pre-pandemic level in 2024
- Upcoming smartphones launching in India in May 2024
- Markets rebound in early trade amid global rally, buying in ICICI Bank and Reliance
- Women in Leadership
- Rupee declines 5 paise to 83.43 against US dollar in early trade