By Miho Matsuzaka

At present, the Japanese population is decreasing: the younger population is declining markedly, while the elderly are gradually increasing. The reasons for this trend vary, but some of the major reasons are; an increase in the number of single women, the falling birth rate of women from the ages of 35 to 44, and a lack of financial support for working mothers both at home and on the job. If this trend continues, Japan will be faced with various problems, including a weakened workforce and an overburdened retirement pension system. There are three steps the government should take to alleviate the declining birthrate problem.

First, the government must substantially increase the monthly childrenﾕs allowance parents receive. In Japan, an allowance of 5,000 yen per month per child is given to families who have two children. Ten thousand yen per month per child is allotted for families who have more than three children. This may seem like a sufficient amount of money, but in fact, it costs a lot of money to bring up a child these days, especially with the rise of school tuition costs and daily living expenditures. Unfortunately, rather than increasing monthly child allowances, the government is becoming more frugal with their finances. In fact, some local governments have discussed doing away with monthly child allowances altogether. This will only cause more families to avoid having children, thus, exacerbating the low birthrate crisis.

Second, there must be an improvement of the employment situation for women in Japan. At present, there are a lot of working women who are afraid to get married and raise a child. Various reasons cited by working women include the following: 1) lack of time off for paid maternity leave, 2) forced retirement by companies if a woman worker gets pregnant, 3) inability of husbands to take maternity leave, and 4) an insuffient number of good nursery schools and day-care centers where working mothers can leave their infants. Until these issues are resolved it is doubtful working women will be willing to have children.

Third, there must be more public support shown to families with children. For example, in Munich, Germany, couples that have a baby receive a letter from the mayor of the city congratulating them. In Germany, children are thought of as national assets and parents are praised for their commitment to raising a family. In Britain, women receive free advice relating to childcare after they are discharged from the hospital following childbirth. In fact, a health care official makes a house visit within a few weeks after the mother leaves the hospital. The health care official is a professional who can advise on a number of issues concerning the child. In addition, there are numerous child services that offer services such as nursery schools for working mothers. They can even assist families in locating safe areas for young children to play in the familyﾕs neighborhood. Furthermore, there is assistance in England for working mothers regarding maternity leave. There, women are paid for up to 29 weeks. Another example of public support for child rearing is Sweden. After the birth of a child, fathers are allowed to take thirty days paid leave to help with childcare. In addition, during the childcare leave, the parents receive 80 percent of their monthly income for up to one year. With encouragement and assistance like this, it is easy to see why women in Germany, England and Sweden are not reluctant to have children. Japan needs to follow in the footsteps of these three countries and must show more support, especially financially.

If Japan is to reverse the current trend of a decreasing population it must change its attitude towards childcare. The government, at the both national and local levels, must create new policies that assist working mothers and families both emotionally and financially. An increase in family allowance per month, better employment conditions such as paid maternity leave for both women and men, and better social awareness and support on a national level similar to that which some European countries have, I believe, are ways this problem can be solved.