Japan: Half of unmarried people under 30 do not want kids

Osaka: According to a recent survey conducted by a pharmaceutical firm showed that around half of unmarried people under 30 in Japan are not interested in having children.

The respondents cited economic concerns and the burden of childbirth and parenting as their reasoning. Of the 400 respondents between 18 to 29 years old, 49.4 per cent said they do not want children, the highest percentage in any of the last three annual pregnancy white paper surveys conducted by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co, Kyodo news reported.

Concerned over the low birth rate in the country, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this year pledged to implement measures including allowing 85 per cent of male workers who have a child to take paternity leave by fiscal 2030 to tackle the falling birthrate.

The government will take steps to push up wages for young workers and boost economic assistance to them to create an environment conducive to raising their children free of concerns, the Japanese Prime Minister said in a press conference.

Japan has a population of 125 million and has long struggled with how to provide for its fast-growing number of elderly residents.

Birth rates are slowing in many countries including Japan’s closest neighbours, due to factors including rising living costs, more women entering the workforce and people choosing to have children later.

Official data showed last week that China’s population shrank in 2022, for the first time in more than six decades.

The number of babies born in Japan in 2022 fell to a new record low for the seventh consecutive year, dropping below 800,000 for the first time since records began in 1899, government data showed late last month.

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