Japan’s new births fall to record low in 2023 as demographic woes deepen

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From Thai PBS World

The number of babies born in Japan fell for an eighth straight year to a fresh record low in 2023, preliminary government data showed on Tuesday, underscoring the daunting task the country faces in trying to stem depopulation.

The number of births fell 5.1% from a year earlier to 758,631, while the number of marriages slid 5.9% to 489,281 — the first time in 90 years the number fell below 500,000 — foreboding a further decline in the population as out-of-wedlock births are rare in Japan.

Asked about the latest data, Japan’s top government spokesperson said the government will take “unprecedented steps” to cope with the declining birthrate, such as expanding childcare and promoting wage hikes for younger workers.

“The declining birthrate is in a critical situation,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters. “The next six years or so until 2030, when the number of young people will rapidly decline, will be the last chance to reverse the trend.”

Mindful of the potential social and economic impact, and the strains on public finances, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called the trend the “gravest crisis our country faces”, and unveiled a range of steps to support child-bearing households late last year.

Japan’s population will likely decline by about 30% to 87 million by 2070, with four out of every 10 people aged 65 or older, according to estimates by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

 

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A Japanese politician, Ishida Narise, hit the nail on the head when he said Japan's young men lack the ability to 'connect romantically' with the opposite sex.

Women in Japan today are also to blame. These days many are well-educated, financially independent and career-minded and no longer see the need to be attached to a man or to be held back in life by having to stay home and look after children.

Young men also find the whole dating process 'mendoukusai' or "a pain in the arse".  They see the girls as being way too demanding and having expectations that they,as men, cannot possibly hope to live up to.

So rather than spending time trying to find a girl, and then trying to please her, it is easier for them to just rely on the traditional manner in which men have always gained sexual satisfaction in Japan - pay for it in one of the millions of girlie bars spread across every city and down every side street. You can get the job done and not be bothered about any commitment. Plus, you can have a different girl every night.

The other way to deal with their sexual needs is advertised here for all to see :

Where else in the world could you see such blatant advertising for a wanking toy, like Tenga?

You can visit any Don Quijote store - they are on every second corner - and choose from a huge selection of Tenga. Guys browse this section of the store without any embarrassment at all, as I witnessed on a recent trip.

A survey conducted in 2017 found that 75% of men in their 30s, and 83%. of men in their 30s knew what a Tenga is. 

You can buy all kinds of merch, including socks, phone cases, sweaters, chocolate and baseball cap - even one with a tissue dispenser on top!

It's so sad to think that Japan is full of lonely guys who have given up on a relationship and marriage, preferring to rely on ever more available porn and a wanking wonder toy. They will never father children.

 

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Yes, those Japanese women making impossible demands of men like being treated like equal human beings whose sole purpose isn't to fluff the male ego. What Japanese man could manage that?

It has been a few decades since I lived there, but I can't imagine the rampant misogyny has changed that much. Compare Korea's 4b movement and its similar origins. The Korean government has spent billions trying to improve its birthrate with no success. I guess the male legislators can't understand that no matter how much glitter they sprinkle on the cage, women don't want to go back in.