Number of Births in Japan To Hit Record Low in 2017 (reuters.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: The number of births in Japan this year has fallen to is lowest since records began more than a century ago with about 941,000 new babies, the health ministry said on Friday, proof if any were needed that it faces an ageing and shrinking population. The number of births will be about 4 percent lower than last year and the lowest since the government started compiling data in 1899, the ministry said.

Comments

Even worse for some European countries...

[bogaboga]

For these countries, they will have to rely on immigration which some of them are already doing.

I guess that in about 50 years, these countries' demographic makeup in terms of race will be very different.

Re:A lot of SOs

[ctilsie242]

A shrinking population is bad because it means fewer people handling the tax burden, fewer people for businesses to sell to, fewer people who know the nation's history and character (especially for Japan which is unique in the world in a lot of respects.)

I can see why Japan is leery of opening the gates to immigrants. They want to remain Japan and not have some other culture, be it American, European, Chinese, Korean, or another not overrun what exists now.

So, what can Japan do? I've wondered about something like the French Foreign Legion, where it would be a military service that someone can serve in, and after a number of years (5-8, perhaps) be granted Japanese citizenship. This may be anathema, because Japanese is not just a nationality but a race, but it may be the best way to preserve their culture.

Pay people more

[rsilvergun]

and work them less. This isn't because they don't want kids. Multiple studies and surveys have shown that. They can't afford to have kids and only work 12/day, 6 days/week. Since they don't have the Christian hang ups about using birth control that Americans have the birth rate keeps going down. Meanwhile their prime minister is coming up with all sorts of crazy schemes to try and get people to keep up their crazy pace of work and still squeeze out 3-4 kids.