The National Institute of Population and Social Security – a government-linked organization in Tokyo – said the results of its 2021 survey, released this month, would heighten concerns about the low birth rate. According to the survey, 17.3% of men and 14.6% of women aged between 18 and 34 said they had no intention of getting married – the highest percentage since the survey was first carried out in 1982. In that survey, taken shortly before the rise of the bubble economy in the mid-1980s, just 2.3% of men and 4.1% of women said they would never marry. The decline in marriages has had consequences for Japan’s birth rate as it faces the prospect of a dramatic depopulation and shrinking workforce and economy. Experts have attributed the trend to a number of factors, including the growing desire of young working women to enjoy the freedoms that come with being single and having a career. Men say they also enjoy being alone, but they also express concern about job security and their ability to support a family. Experts have called on the government to make it easier for women to return to work after having children and to tackle Japan’s notoriously long working hours. Asked what constituted an “ideal” lifestyle for women, nearly 40% of single male respondents and 34% of single female respondents cited the ability to balance a career with raising children. In a sign of changing attitudes towards gender roles, less than 7% of men said they would like their future spouse to stay at home to take care of the family. Shigeki Matsuda, a professor of sociology at Chukyo University in central Japan, said the downward trend in marriage would negatively affect the birth rate. “The Japanese government is working to increase the birth rate by trying to help those who wish to marry or have children fulfill their aspirations,” he told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. “But if the number of people who do not want to marry continues to rise, the government will be forced to review its policies and could lead to further declines in fertility.” The number of babies born in Japan in 2021 fell by 29,231, or 3.5 percent, from the previous year to a record low of 811,604, the health ministry said in June. The number of marriages fell by 24,391 to 501,116, the lowest number since the end of World War II. Government data released in May showed Japan’s population fell by 644,000 last year – the 11th straight year of decline. The data prompted an intervention from Elon Musk, who warned that Japan will “cease to exist” unless it loosens immigration rules and does more to promote a healthier work-life balance. Tesla’s chief executive was criticized on social media for “overreacting” and singled out Japan as it is not the only developed economy facing long-term population decline.
