人工進化研究所（AERI）
- Oct 28, 2023
- 8 min read

Addressing Japan's Declining Birthrate Issues & Challenges in Child Rearing Financial Support system

Professor Kamuro's near-future science predictions:

Addressing Japan's Declining Birthrate:

Issues and Challenges in

the "Child Rearing Financial Support" System

Quantum Physicist and Brain Scientist

Visiting Professor of Quantum Physics,

California Institute of Technology

IEEE-USA Fellow

American Physical Society-USA Fellow

PhD. & Dr. Kazuto Kamuro

AERI：Artificial Evolution Research Institute

Pasadena, California

HP: https://www.aeri-japan.com/

and

Xyronix Corporation

Pasadena, California

HP: https://www.usaxyronix.com/

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Addressing Japan's Declining Birthrate: Issues and Challenges in the "Child Rearing Financial Support" System

On June 2, 2023, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare released the "Population Statistics" for the year 2022. According to this data, the total fertility rate in 2022 was 1.26, and the number of births was 777,747, marking the first time in the history of statistics that it fell below 800,000. Concurrently, the government has been introducing policies such as expanding child allowances, but there are significant challenges ahead, including issues related to financial resources. In this article, we will examine the issues with support systems that assist child-rearing financially and the challenges facing Japan's efforts to combat its declining birthrate.

1. Current Environment and Assessment

・According to the preliminary population statistics report released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on August 29, the number of births in the first half of this year was 371,052 (a 3.6% decrease compared to the same period last year), marking the second consecutive year where it has fallen below 400,000. It is almost certain that the annual birth count will also be below 800,000, just like the previous year. In the face of a challenging national security environment, the progression of the declining birthrate is a serious issue and can be described as a "silent crisis."

・According to estimates from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the working-age population (ages 15-64) that was approximately 75 million in 2020 is projected to fall below 60 million by 2043 and dip below 50 million by 2062. This marks the arrival of a severe decline in the birthrate, and a certain shortage of labor force is imminent. Intense competition for talent acquisition is expected to intensify between government agencies and the private sector. As the pie shrinks, competing for a slice of it will not optimize the situation as a whole. With conventional thinking, the country's defense will eventually become unsustainable.

2. Japan's Countermeasures Against Declining Birthrate: Six Benefit Programs and Two Tax Incentive Schemes

・In the Japanese government's efforts to address the declining birthrate, there are eight programs aimed at supporting "child-rearing financial assistance," comprising six benefit programs and two tax incentive schemes.

・The six "benefit" programs consist of maternity and child-rearing allowance, childbirth and child-rearing support benefit, childbirth allowance, childcare leave benefit, child allowance, and the high school and equivalent school education support system (providing virtually free high school tuition).

・The two "tax incentive" schemes include the dependent deduction and the single-parent deduction.

3. The Three Major Challenges in Japan's Efforts to Combat Declining Birthrate

In Japan's efforts to combat declining birth rates, three main challenges have persisted without a lasting resolution.

a. Japan's efforts to combat declining birth rates have primarily focused on "pregnancy, childbirth" and "early child-rearing."

b. Japan's efforts to combat declining birth rates lack adequate infrastructure for balancing parenting and employment.

c. In Japan's efforts to combat declining birth rates, the burden of education expenses is increasing even as incomes are decreasing.

4. An Overview of the Three Major Challenges in the Declining Birthrate Countermeasures

The prevailing focus of Japan's declining birthrate countermeasures on "pregnancy, childbirth" and "early child-rearing" neglects the broader spectrum of support needed throughout a child's development. A more comprehensive approach is required to address the various stages of child-rearing. The inadequate infrastructure for balancing parenting and employment in Japan makes it challenging for parents, especially women, to maintain their careers while raising children. There is a need for improved work-life balance policies and a shift in societal attitudes toward gender roles. As family incomes decrease, the burden of education expenses, particularly for higher education, continues to grow. This financial strain on families can discourage child-rearing. Addressing the rising cost of education is essential to support families in raising children.

a. In Japan's efforts to combat declining birth rates, there is a strong emphasis on "pregnancy, childbirth," and "early child-rearing."

In Japan's efforts to address the declining birthrate, there is a notable emphasis on "pregnancy, childbirth," and "early child-rearing." In connection to this, the "child allowance" program has faced criticism due to limitations such as being available only until junior high school and the presence of income restrictions. There is a proposed direction to expand the eligibility to include high school students and eliminate income restrictions.

b. In Japan's declining birthrate countermeasures, there is an insufficient effort in establishing an environment that facilitates the balance between parenting and work.

Today, it has become commonplace for both partners in a marriage to work. This is driven not only by what is often referred to as "women's self-realization desires" and "women's social advancement" but also by the necessity of dual incomes to sustain a household. In Japan, the burden of child-rearing still tends to disproportionately fall on mothers, and the rate of men taking paternity leave remains significantly low. It is imperative to establish an environment where both men and women can effectively balance parenting and work without undue difficulty. Furthermore, at present, there are no equivalent support systems for self-employed individuals and freelancers that are comparable to the "childbirth allowance" and "childcare leave benefit" available to salaried employees. Establishing such support systems is an urgent need.

c. Despite a decrease in real income, the burden of education expenses is on a continuous rise

With the combination of rising prices, increased taxes, and concerns about pension stability, there is an undeniable trend of more people feeling overwhelmed by "taking care of themselves" even before considering having children. Amidst this backdrop, the cost of education is soaring. The average tuition fees for private universities have escalated significantly, reaching ¥930,943 annually in 2021, compared to ¥799,973 in 2001, marking an increase of over 16% (source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, "Survey of Student Payments for Students Entering Private Universities, etc., in the Third Year of Reiwa"). Measures to curb the rising tuition fees and expand scholarship programs are eagerly anticipated.

5. short summary

・In summary, Japan's declining birthrate countermeasures face three major challenges: an emphasis on early child-rearing, insufficient support for balancing parenting and work, and the increasing burden of education expenses despite declining real incomes. Addressing these challenges is crucial to mitigate the effects of Japan's declining birthrate.

・Indeed, Japan has various systems in place to support childbirth and child-rearing, but the reality is that these systems are not functioning adequately to address the three aforementioned issues. Addressing the challenges of declining birth rates requires comprehensive support for pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing. Both expanding individual programs and ensuring their organic coordination are necessary approaches.

6. Create an environment where women feel motivated to have children

・

Japan's birthrate stands at 1.26. Even in France, known for having a relatively high birthrate among developed countries, there has been a gradual decline since 2010. To illustrate, comparing the number of births in June, a month with relatively high birth rates, between last year and this year shows a decrease of about 7%. This indicates that there are no signs of the declining trend slowing down.

・While the birthrate has decreased, when compared to Japan's ultra-low birthrate, for the year 2022, France is still maintaining a total fertility rate of 1.8, in contrast to Japan's 1.26. It has long been pointed out that the trend of dedicating more years to education and prioritizing career establishment is a contributing factor. Moreover, with the average age for giving birth to the first child being 31 years, it is only natural that the number of children born over a person's lifetime may decrease.

・The statistical result indicating that around 30% of women in the age group of childbearing years are saying, "I don't want children," is an unsurprising outcome. The voices of women in their 30s who say, "I want to remain free, and if my career is fulfilling, that's enough," are representative of this trend. Of course, there are also those who mention financial difficulties or a lack of living space. Additionally, the current social and political environment, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine, is pointed out as contributing factors.

・Furthermore, there's the deteriorating state of our global environment. Who can blame the younger generation who think, "We don't want to exacerbate the environmental problems by increasing the human population any further"? While our generations may differ, I, too, vividly remember being genuinely surprised when my child was born, realizing just how much more waste was generated with the addition of one more person. It seems that these various factors of concern make it difficult to envision a future with children. Nevertheless, a society where we don't hear the voices of children feels lonely. History has proven that a society without someone to pass the baton of life to gradually loses its vitality.

・The crux of measures to address the declining birthrate is as follows:

a. Ensuring a safe and supportive environment for women to bring new life into this world.

b. Guaranteeing women's freedom even after childbirth.

c. Ensuring the fulfillment of women's careers after childbirth.

d. Abolishing the need for one young person to support one elderly person through super-aged welfare, excessive elderly welfare, and medical care

・Addressing the declining birthrate is a complex societal issue influenced by various factors. When considering the given choices, several elements should be taken into account:

a. Ensuring a safe and supportive environment for women to bring new life into this world.

This choice emphasizes the importance of providing women with a safe and supportive environment for childbirth and child-rearing. Providing women with a secure and supportive environment is crucial as part of the measures to address the declining birthrate.

b. Guaranteeing women's freedom even after childbirth.

Ensuring that women can maintain their freedom after childbirth pertains to supporting women's careers and personal development. This is an important element of measures to address the declining birthrate.

c. Ensuring the fulfillment of women's careers after childbirth.

It is also important to enable women to balance fulfilling work and family life after childbirth. This means providing support for working mothers.

d. Abolishing the need for one young person to support one elderly person through super-aged welfare, excessive elderly welfare, and medical care.

This choice suggests reducing support for the elderly. While this approach may be under discussion in some countries, reducing the welfare and medical care for the elderly could become a social issue.

Overall, addressing the declining birthrate involves multiple factors related to supporting women, balancing work and family life, and elderly welfare. A comprehensive approach is needed, considering not only individual factors but also striking a balance among them.

7. Summary

The most critical and top-priority challenge currently facing the government is "alleviating the concerns of women.

The Artificial Evolution Research Institute (AERI), a nonprofit organization based in Pasadena, California (Website: https://www.aeri-japan.com/ ), and Xyronix Corporation, a bio-computer semiconductor design company also located in Pasadena, California (Website: https://www.usaxyronix.com/ ), along with their affiliated entities, including a law firm, a translation and publishing company specializing in foreign and scientific literature, a VIP specialized translation and interpretation agency, and a contemporary art school, collaborate through their respective organizations. They are dedicated to promoting women's advancement in society, improving their social status, ensuring women's self-fulfillment, securing stable employment and income for women, and providing a stable and nurturing childcare environment. Their initiatives aim to alleviate concerns such as childcare, livelihood, and career uncertainties for women.

END

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Quantum Brain Chipset & Bio Processor (BioVLSI)

Prof. PhD. Dr. Kamuro

Quantum Physicist and Brain Scientist involved in Caltech & AERI Associate Professor and Brain Scientist in Artificial Evolution Research Institute（ AERI: https://www.aeri-japan.com/ ）

IEEE-USA Fellow

American Physical Society Fellow

PhD. & Dr. Kazuto Kamuro

AERI & Xyronix Corporation

HP: https://www.aeri-japan.com/　

HP: https://www.usaxyronix.com/

email: info@aeri-japan.com

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HP： https://www.aeri-japan.com/

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