Japan needs to raise birthrate to remain economic power, say experts

Thursday 03rd July, 12:26 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 96 Total Comments Show All

Jandals at 12:39 PM JST - 4th July

...or maybe they could teach their kids to mutli-talented... The best thing for this country is for the population to decrease, give more room to walk and spend coin on education rather than seniors and construction...
oneearth at 01:12 PM JST - 4th July

Japanese are a selfless people - raise birthrate HOW? and also this Peoples dont LOVE PEOPLES and thy are not OPEN to WORLD,
oneearth at 01:26 PM JST - 4th July

Japanese are a selfless people - raise birthrate HOW? and also this Peoples dont LOVE PEOPLES and thy are not OPEN to WORLD,raise birthrate And Do WHAT
jtcrawford at 07:57 AM JST - 5th July

I read this article...10 years ago. The experts consistently say that the birthrate is declining and then ask, how can we get women to have more babies? The problem does not lie with women. As already stated in previous comments, having a child is expensive, having more than one is not feasible on one salary, and women cannot work or go back to work after having a child given the social and work structure. So what is a young couple to do?
USARonin at 04:23 PM JST - 5th July

It's none of my business 'cause I ain't Japanese so I shouldn't be tellin' them their sovereign nation should be havin more children, but I think Oriental babies can be real cute. I'm just not partial to the ones that have heads that are too big. You've seen them. All the other ones are just plain cute.

Here's a place to get an Oriental baby if know someone who's interested:

http://www.wikihow.com/Adopt-a-Baby-from-China

I recommend gettin' a baby six months or younger. You can break 'em in better. Japanese women could get an Oriental baby from a nation that exports them, and then they don't have to go through the unpleasantness of bein' pregnant. Even though Japan is expensive, I think they'd save a whole lot of money over the long haul.
RepublicofTexas at 08:09 PM JST - 5th July

Like Akiko's problem: she was born girl so she can not "work" as Empress...

Japan is not the only monarchy in which the line passes through males. Also nations like Spain, Monaco, and the UK practice cognatic primogeniture in which a female may accede to the throne only if she has no male brothers. Also her name is Princess Aiko, not Akiko.

They don't want more babies, they want more boys.

That's not true. Japanese do not abort female children in the way that China and other countries do. Though there is discrimination against women in the workplace and in society. I would definitely not go so far as to say girls are unwanted. That is very far from the truth.
cleo at 08:26 PM JST - 5th July

Also nations like Spain, Monaco, and the UK practice cognatic primogeniture in which a female may accede to the throne only if she has no male brothers.

Well Aiko has no male brothers (no female brothers or male sisters either....), and she still isn't allowed to take the top job. Dunno about Spain or Monaco, but you may have noticed that the UK has had two female monarchs in the past 150 years.

they don't have to go through the unpleasantness of bein' pregnant.

And you would know about that? :-)

Being pregnant isn't unpleasant at all, it's rather magical and turns any woman into a very special lady. The unpleasantness comes after the birth.
European1 at 10:55 PM JST - 5th July

Funny things happens in this country. How many times they will study yet? LDP is awesome! Study, Study, have meetings after meetings about another meeting...and...???? Any conclusion guys? Do you know what to do to make things happen? How about Free maternity, free baby delivery, free public kindergartens (except food of course) free public education and allow women to continue work after maternity leave.
Good_Jorb at 07:32 AM JST - 7th July

More babies is third world solution to fixing economic problems, the world is already overpopulated causing the stretching of food and resource stocks. Japan should focus on building a new economic model to serve a decreasing or unchanging level of population.
nigelboy at 10:12 AM JST - 7th July

More babies is third world solution to fixing economic problems, the world is already overpopulated causing the stretching of food and resource stocks. Japan should focus on building a new economic model to serve a decreasing or unchanging level of population.

This is so true. If we were to suddenly increase the population to narrow the gap between the current older generation, we end up with the same problem 50~60 years later.
knucklerap at 02:26 AM JST - 8th July

I say, everybody get two jobs. No more free overtime after 5:00 p.m. Go home, then at 8:00 p.m. or so, do some second job until midnight.
illsayit at 03:04 PM JST - 8th July

Well I hear America didnt do so bad on recent surveys on birthrate, I even think there was a rise. Now why would Japan want to work so hard and develope sustaining technologies if it was for somebody else?

I think Home Living Standards need to be changed. I mean if you are stuck in a box then it is pretty hard to keep sane, and to prevent the urge from escaping out, but if home lifestyle was a little more, say, comfortable, I would guess that would help the interest of women to stay at home.

Who says a Stay at Home Mum is any less than a Mum Working? Or vice versa?
Triple888 at 07:40 PM JST - 8th July

Japan should build more birth machines.
HUMMERBOY at 11:06 AM JST - 9th July

This is all talk. And talk only. The Illuminati plan is not to increase world population but to decrease it to a level that would shock you beyond your imagination. And how they are doing it is pure evil and nothing else. Things do not happen in japan or anywhere in the world just out of chance. Everything is designed to happen for a reason. And the reason is not always for the good of you or me.
jaybeeb at 05:34 PM JST - 9th July

Immigration should be encouraged - skilled AND unskilled workers.