Is Japan’s Population Decline Worse than Previously Thought?

Japanese politician suggests 

banning abortion to increase birthrates

Shannon Roberts

It is common knowledge that Japan is in more economic trouble than most as a result of its low birth rate, and it seems that Japanese politicians are taking the situation increasingly seriously. One Japanese politician has come up with a fairly commonsensible plan to increase the country’s ailing birth rate – ban abortions.

It is true that without the effect of so many abortions many countries’ birth rates would increase to at least replacement level. However it is surprising that the suggestion should surface first in Japan –a non-Christian, largely secular minded country. Blog “Japan Crush” reports Seiko Noda, a legislator in Japan’s House of Representatives who has worked on the birthrate issue for many years and served in several cabinet positions, as saying:

With 200,000 pregnancies being terminated per year, if we are to counteract the falling birthrate, then we must begin there. I intend to have this reviewed in the party’s Special Committee on Population Decline in Society following the Upper House elections. We will not only prohibit abortion, but instead of prohibition we must also create laws (to mediate) child adoption, and prepare an environment in which children who are born can be brought up in society.

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Is Japan’s Population Decline 

Worse than Previously Thought?

Marcus Roberts

That was my first question when I saw this semi-amusing story from the Daily Yomiuri Online.

The former Deputy Mayor of the town of Higashiura, in the Aichi Prefecture in Honshu, Japan has been arrested “on suspicion he deliberately padded the town's population data in the 2010 census.” 

The town was aiming to be upgraded to the administrative status of a city, a goal which requires a population of at least 50,000 citizens.

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 With Japan’s population declining (especially outside of the main urban areas) I would be very surprised if Higashiura ever made it to the magical 50,000 mark. I wonder if Mr Hideo Ogisu was of the same mind set and thought that the only way to boost his town’s population was to manipulate the figures?

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