"Marriage is no, being a pet owner is yes"… Why Japan's low birthrate response failed

One of the reasons for Japan's declining birthrate has been analyzed as deriving satisfaction from raising pets rather than getting married, or liking virtual entities such as idols, athletes, and animation characters.

Masahiro Yamada, a Japanese family sociologist, stated at a seminar titled "Japan in Decline, Rapidly Surpassed by South Korea," hosted by the Korea Future Population Research Institute on the 24th, "Many Japanese youths tend to consider pets as family members or pour affection into virtual entities such as idols, athletes, and animation characters rather than marrying and starting a family."

Photo by Hanbando Mirae Population Research Institute

Professor Yamada explained, "When asked 'Have you ever loved a virtual entity?', 28% of unmarried Japanese women aged 30-34 and 26% of men responded 'yes'," analyzing that the tendency of singles to love virtual entities has influenced the declining birthrate.

It was also pointed out as a problem that the Japanese government applied Western-style models to Japan without considering the differences in values between Japan and the West. He explained, "Unlike the West, where children become independent immediately after reaching adulthood, in Japan children continue to receive economic support from their parents even after becoming adults," adding, "An excessive sense of responsibility toward children combined with economic anxiety among the younger generation has simultaneously contributed to the decline in Japan's marriage and birth rates."

The need for improving corporate culture was also highlighted. Professor Yamada emphasized, "Measures to support work-family balance, which have been central to addressing the declining birthrate, have shown significant effects in urban areas with many dual-income couples," and added, "It is necessary to create conditions that allow motivated working women to continue working while raising children."

He proposed effective measures against the declining birthrate, including ▲breaking away from traditional family values ▲expanding employment opportunities for retirees ▲gender equality in the workplace ▲acceptance of highly educated immigrants ▲and increasing taxes on childless couples. He warned, "If radical measures are not presented, Japan will continue to decline," and suggested, "Policies to accept highly educated immigrants should create an environment where natives and immigrants can marry and raise children."