More Passive in Dating Than 'Chosiknam'
Experts Say "Labor Market Must Be Improved First"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] As Japan's number of newborns has hit the lowest level in over 120 years since statistics began, a survey revealed that most men in their 20s do not date at all, a phenomenon dubbed 'Jeolsiknam (絶食男).' While the Japanese government is struggling to devise measures to raise the birth rate, experts are increasingly voicing that improving the labor market and job policies should take precedence over cash or financial support.
According to NHK on the 22nd, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced in its demographic statistics (preliminary figures) that the number of newborns in Japan from January to October this year was 669,871, down by 33,827 from the same period last year, marking an all-time low. The ministry stated that if the current trend continues, the total number of newborns by the end of the year will be around 770,000, falling short of the 800,000 mark.
This is the first time in 123 years, since statistics began in 1899, that Japan's annual number of newborns has fallen below 800,000. The collapse of the 800,000 newborn threshold came eight years earlier than the forecast made by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in 2017, prompting the Japanese government to seriously consider measures to defend the birth rate.
Various social and cultural causes have been suggested for the sharp decline in birth rates, and inside and outside Japanese society, the deepening reluctance of young men in their 20s to date is pointed out as a major factor. Beyond the previously known 'Soushoku-dan (草食男, herbivore men)' who were passive about dating, the rise of 'Jeolsiknam,' men who completely avoid dating, is leading to simultaneous declines in marriage and childbirth.
According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), the Gender Equality Bureau under the Cabinet Office of Japan reported in the 'White Paper on Gender Equality' released last August that 65% of men in their 20s and 50% of women in the same age group answered that they were single or had no partner when asked if they had a spouse or lover. When asked how many people they had dated so far, 40% of men responded 'none at all,' and about 25% of women in their 20s also answered 'none at all.'
As men increasingly give up not only marriage but also dating mainly due to employment and economic issues, voices calling for labor market improvements as a solution to the low birth rate problem are growing louder. Takumi Fujinami, Senior Researcher at the Japan Research Institute, pointed out in an interview with Nikkei, "It is not enough to reduce economic burdens through cash support alone," adding, "This is because even if young people become regular employees, their income does not increase, and the number of non-regular workers is also rising." He emphasized, "The most effective measure is to raise the economic level of the younger generation. If labor distribution rates increase and wages rise, the number of children will naturally increase."
However, the Japanese government's policies mainly focus on cash support for families with children. Starting next year, the government plans to provide coupons worth 100,000 yen (approximately 960,000 KRW) per newborn, establish a Children and Family Agency from April to increase the birth rate, and appoint a minister in charge. They are also considering raising the lump-sum childbirth and childcare allowance, which currently pays 420,000 yen (approximately 4.03 million KRW) per child, to 500,000 yen (approximately 4.8 million KRW) starting next year.
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