Solutions and what is being done
What is being done to change these issues? One solution that can help with the Japanese population decline is an increase in immigration. Obviously immigrants would be able to fill all of the much needed nursing home jobs in the future and other job fields. In Japan however, many don’t think of immigration as a solution to the problem. Japanese traditionalist don’t want huge numbers of immigrants because they are worried about maintaining their unique Japanese culture in the future. The Japanese government is still accepting more foreign workers choosing to use words like “guest worker”.
Instead of immigrants, Japanese businesses are actually starting to use robots instead. The robots are working in stores and banks and are capable of speaking many languages. There are actually robots that are being designed to work in nursing homes and take care of seniors but the technology is not ready yet. Robots are going to be used to help guests around the world during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
More women can enter the workforce to help fill needed job positions. However, the attitude of some men towards working mothers needs to change. Women can’t face discrimination if they choose to have children and work. Women also earn 30% less money than men do for doing the same job. Something more still needs to be done to make the work environment friendlier towards mothers.
There is also a need for more day cares in Japan. Many children are on waiting lists to be able to go to daycare. If more day cares are added, parents will have a place to take their kids while they are working during the day. President Abe Shinzo is hoping to add more day cares to fix this problem.
Pro-Fertility policies and attitudes can be implemented. The government wants to increase the paternity leave for men so they can help when the baby is first born. Not many new fathers even take advantage of the paternity leave because in their mind it’s not the men’s job to miss work to help with the child. They feel that they still need to be out earning the money during this time. According to a poll, more women agreed that if the father had more time to help with the kids, she would feel more willing have kids.
Since Japan is not the only country with this issue, other developed nations that are struggling to keep their populations up can look at Japan as an example. This issue is the most prominent in Japan right now so that is why the attention should go to Japan first. It is almost certain that they will face a decline, but the goal for now is to stop this decline and keep the population as high as possible.
