Essay
Gallery
The Japanese declining birth rate
by XXXXXXXXXX
In this essay I present my research on the
Japanese declining birth rate. I am interested in Japanese declining
birth rate because this issue is very serious and close issue for us.
What is more this issue is very difficult to see. So we must think
about this issue and its solution deliberately and immediately. I am
going to cover two main points. I want to explore "what is the most
important difference of the Japanese declining birth rate from other
countries' declining birth rate?" and "how does the Japanese
declining birth rate influence our generations?" First I will show
you the most important difference of the Japanese declining birth
rate from other countries', and then I will cover an example of the
influence received by our generations.
In any study of the Japanese declining birth rate, it is important to know the background details. According to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the declining birth rate's definition is a drop in the absolute value of the children and a drop in the birth rate. And according to a critic Rieko Suzuki's book, tyou Syoushika, the Japanese birth rate is 1.38 persons in the year 1998. This numerical value is half or less than that in the year 1947. What's more, the population of the right side of 15 years old represents 14.9% of the entire population in Japan. This numerical value is second low value in the world. And this declining birth rate's tendency is still continued.
What are the causes of the Japanese declining birth rate? I think the Japanese declining birth rate is caused by progress of tendency to put off marriage, and decline in the child's birth value of couple. Actually, according to Population Issue Institute, the 25~29 years old women's unmarried rate in the year 1995 is twice times larger than that in the year 1975. And child's birth value of couple in the year 1995 is half times of that in the year 1940. Right then I want to present the effect caused by declining birth rate. The effects are the decline of economic growth caused by decrease of labor force's populations, the decline of social vitality caused by decrease of young people, and the increase of social security responsibility.
I think the declining birth rate is similar to the aging because both cases have same causes, and in both cases same problems have occurred. However the declining birth rate is different from aging because while the aging has been concretely defined by United Nations, the declining birth rate hasn't been concretely defined by any international organizations (according to Population Issues Institute). I think that concretely international defines are very important because by that, people could devise a numerical target to solution, and so on.
"What is the most important difference of the Japanese declining birth rate from other countries' declining birth rate?" I will show you the most important difference of the Japanese declining birth rate from other countries'. I think that the most important difference is the speed of declining birth rate. Compare with other countries' declining birth rate, the Japanese declining birth rate has occurred very rapidly. According to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, after World WarII Japanese declining birth rate has proceed very rapidly while other countries' has proceed in many centuries. I think that by this sudden shift, government and society couldn't manage sufficiently. So the most important difference is its speed.
I have shown the most important difference of the Japanese declining birth rate from other countries', now I will cover an example of the influence received our generations which I think most important. I think that the most important influence received our generations is the increase of the burden in respect of money. According to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 25 years after, the public burden (tax + social security) proportion occupied to national income, that is, the so-called national burden rate becomes a level exceeding 50%, and a working population's residual income will decrease below in the half of income. I think that our generation's people should know this fact to have a sense of impending crisis more and more.
In brief I have shown the most important difference of the Japanese declining birth rate from other countries', and an example of the influence received our generations. The situation might improve if everyone considers this problem seriously. However the situation might deteriorate if we made it leaving all to others or did nothing. I think that the tendency of the declining birth rate will continue because its causes are a natural flow if it be seen socially. So its causes couldn't be solved so easily. I think that most important thing is not the thing that how to solve the declining birth rate, but considering how to associate with declining birth rate.
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare' s data (2001)
Rieko Suzuki's (2000) Tyou Syoushika,
Population Issue Institute's date (2001)
