this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2025
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1
Japan ‘on verge of no longer functioning’ after birth rate plummets to record new low (www.independent.co.uk)
submitted 1 month ago by Stern@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world
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[–] Rookwood@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I believe Japan has less inequality than the US. Not sure on that, but I think it's true. I think in this case we see work culture playing a role. The only country in the world with a worse work culture than the US is Japan. No one has time to even think about having kids when you are a company man there. It's similar in the US.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Even as economist talk about the Lost Decade (really, two decades) in Japan, the unemployment rate has always been relatively subdued compared to the US:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LRUN25TTJPA156N

From about 1.7% in 1990, and then two spikes that just about reach 5.0% in 2002 and 2009. Not only that, but that's the range for people 25-54 years old, which isn't equivalent to the headline number typical in the US. There is an equivalent in published US data, and you can see it's much higher and spikier than Japan:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS14000060

This doesn't mean everything is OK for the working class in Japan. Housing prices are astronomical, requiring 100 year multi-generational loans. Working culture is also far more stressful. However, I think it's fair to ask who the "Lost (two) Decades" is really affecting.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

requiring 100 year multi-generational loans

This is the first I've heard of this and the fact that it's real is insane to me.

[–] NewDayRocks@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 1 month ago

Because it's BS. It's glaringly fake and calls into question the rest of the claims of the post.

Housing prices aren't even insane, especially outside of Tokyo. And the property prices don't even go up. AND you can get 35 year housing loans at under 1% interest. The main reason housing prices have gone up at all is that construction materials cost have gone up due to inflation, Ukraine war, covid supply and demand issues.

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The biggest issue that no one ever wants to talk about is ....

... it's isn't about the QUANTITY of life

.... it's about the QUALITY of life.

If people are able to have a comfortable, stable and prosperous life, with plenty of their own free time to enjoy without worrying about losing everything then they'll make time and an effort to have a family and children.

If all our wealthy overlords ever want to do is squeeze every penny out of us all the time, then people will be less likely to want to have children.

[–] bassomitron@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It also strongly correlates to women's rights and access to education. The more educated women are, the less likely they are to have a lot of kids.

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/health/female-education-and-childbearing-closer-look-data

It's why you see a renewed attack on women in some developed countries, especially in the US.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Here's what happened in America.

In the 1960s the "Women's Lib" movement started. They got a lot of press coverage because it was a good stroy, but didn't actually change things a lot.

In 1973 the Oil Embargo hit and suddenly one job wasn't enough for the family to survive. Lots of wives had to go out and look for work to keep paying the bills.

The Right has been lying that women getting jobs is what destroyed the one income family.

[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Tying the mortgage repayment rate to the median salary of a single individual would go some way towards fixing things then, but that would mean putting price caps on houses which would devalue the currency and also need anti-cartel laws (eg. Laws mandating a maximum amount of homes one can own, as cartels might see artificially low prices as an opportunity to buy up more houses).

Artificially constraining parts of banking and all of residential real estate is likely to have other unforeseen effects on the economy, but may still be worth it.

Another alternative is starting a state bank in which citizens can be part of a rent-to-own mortgage, with minimum but achievable life time repayments. If they don't meet those minimum payments, the house is sold and the profit from the sale is portioned out between the state bank and the mortgage payer in proportion to how much % they paid off.

That's a win win, as theyre probably getting a big cash payment when struggling, and the state bank then gets to relist the home.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world -1 points 1 month ago

How do you put price caps on houses? They vary so much in price depending on location. A shack in San Francisco costs the same as a mansion in the middle of nowhere.

No this kind of centralized approach is doomed to fail. We’re much better off with Georgism with a land value tax and the total repeal of zoning laws. People should be able to build what they want, where they want, and the land value tax captures the increases in property values as a result. When a neighbourhood becomes too expensive to afford for single family households it gets converted into apartments.

All of our housing problems come from meddlesome local politicians, their NIMBY supporters, awful zoning laws and easements, and a terrible property tax system which disincentivizes development. A very simple land value tax system along with the total removal of local politicians’ power over housing development solves all of these issues.

[–] uraniumcovid@lemm.ee 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

imagine being so racist that it forces your country to fall apart. they made their own bed, time for some laying in it.

[–] _carmin@lemm.ee -2 points 1 month ago

Its their country. Let them decide.

[–] thisorthatorwhatever@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Good. We need to depopulate by 50%. The earth can't have 8 billion people. There are less than 30,000 polar bears in the whole world.

[–] _carmin@lemm.ee -1 points 1 month ago

Thats mainly indians and countries around and africans. Why people ignore this small little fact?

[–] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca -1 points 1 month ago

I hear that welcoming migrants is a great way to address this problem...

[–] _carmin@lemm.ee -3 points 1 month ago

Should they bring millions of indians, africans and arabs to help them? We are seeing how its working wonderfully in the west.