This Is Why the Japanese Government Cannot Stop the Declining Birthrate
I lost my job because of dysfunctional “hokatsu”
The birthrate in Japan has been falling dramatically in recent years causing the population of the country to decline.
In 2020, the fertility rate (the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime) in Tokyo was only 1.13, well below the replacement level of 2.07 needed to maintain the population. (The rate was slightly higher across all of Japan at 1.34, though that was down 0.02 points from the previous year).
The reasons are complicated, but one clear cause is the lack of daycare, especially in Tokyo.
As a parent, I have been frustrated with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government because it couldn’t provide me with needed daycare, causing me to lose my job. Let me tell you what it’s like trying to find childcare in Japan.
Local Municipalities Tweak the Availability of Daycare
I hope some local governments in Japan tackle the lack of daycare without deceiving residents, but most local municipalities try to make everything look perfect on paper. As a result, what they announce is nonsense that doesn’t match actual parents’ experience.
