Japan's demographic woes continue even as the Abe administration has placed the fight against depopulation high on its policy agenda. The January-June figures indicate that the number of births in 2014 may fall short of 1 million for the first time, and that deaths will likely outnumber births at a pace faster than in the previous year.
The government should keep up its effort to expand public support for childbirths and child-rearing, but we need to realize that such efforts are not going to reverse the long-term population downtrend anytime soon — or even for decades.
The administration has set the goal of maintaining Japan's population around 100 million five decades from now — the first time a specific number has been cited by the government in its policies on demographics — after the recent alarming figures reminded it that declining population will be a serious drag on the nation's economic growth and put the future of its social security programs in doubt.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.