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Japan's declining birthrate is faster than home broadband
In Japan, the decline in the child population has become a long-term and significant trend. Since 1982, this number has been declining like a bear market in the stock market, and today the number of children has dwindled to just 14.01 million, which is less than the total population of some countries.
What's even more interesting is that the proportion of these little ones is only 11.3% of the national population. It's like in a movie theater, where children sell fewer tickets than adults, resulting in the entire theater being almost occupied by adults and completely turning into a playground for adults.
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Baby boomers turn into gentle country murmurs
In terms of gender and age distribution, the number of boys in Japan is slightly higher than that of girls, at 7.18 million versus 6.83 million, respectively. However, the concern is that the younger the age group, the more scarce the number is. For example, there are only 2.35 million dolls under the age of two, which makes one wonder if Japan's baby boom has receded to a small puddle on the beach.
Under such circumstances, what will the future of Japan look like? Will all anime, games, and toy stores end up selling elderly health care products?
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Geographical differences may be the key to solving the puzzle
Looking at the nationwide data, I have to say that Okinawa Prefecture has a good proportion of children, with a proportion of 16.1%, making it the region with the highest proportion of children in Japan.
Okinawa seems to be a paradise for children in Japan, but do adults choose to take their children to experience a different childhood because of the large number of children here? In stark contrast, Akita Prefecture, where only 9.1% of the population is children, is it more peaceful because of the lack of children's laughter?
A lonely island from a global perspective
Putting Japan in the context of the global context, the situation is not optimistic. Of the 37 countries with a population of more than 40 million, Japan has almost the lowest proportion of children, only slightly better than South Korea. These two countries can now be described as the "lonely islands" of East Asia, where children are so scarce that they can almost go on a "treasure hunt" to find the rare "treasures" hidden in the cities – that is, children.
Conception of fertility under economic pressure
Many young couples face a high cost of living, forcing them to be budget-conscious, from housing prices to education. Under such economic pressure, "wanting to have children but not being able to have children" or "wanting to have more children but not daring to have more" has become a common phenomenon. This begs the question, should there be more policies to help these young families, so that they can reduce their financial burden and thus have more freedom to choose their children.
Nuclear Wastewater and Fertility Decisions
Some netizens have linked Japan's declining fertility rate to the nuclear sewage problem, and while such comments may have a certain emotional tinge, it is undeniable that environmental issues are indeed an important factor influencing fertility decisions. When people consider whether or not to bring new life into the world, environmental concerns will undoubtedly become an important part of their considerations.
In response to this phenomenon, netizens also commented in a variety of ways, with some jokingly saying, "Japan's future national treasure may not be Mt. Fuji, but every child!" Such humorous comments not only make people smile, but also reflect everyone's attention and enthusiasm for discussion on this issue. Against this background, we have reason to expect that this issue will attract more attention and discussion.