Japan’s native population declines at record rate as births plunge
Latest data shows number of Japanese nationals falling by almost 100 an hour on average despite government efforts. [Leo Lewis – Financial Times, 12 April 2024.] READ MORE
Japan to expand subsidized college tuition for large families
Free college tuition will be offered to at least one child in a family with three or more children, regardless of income, with all children being covered in some circumstances. [Yukana Inoue [...]
Child welfare at the forefront of Japanese family law reform
Japan took another step towards family law reform on 29 August 2023 when a Ministry of Justice subcommittee published an outline recommending several changes to decades-old civil codes. [Takeshi [...]
Japan announces outline of ‘unprecedented’ child care policy
The proposals also include systems that improve childcare services, encourage co-parenting and support single parents. [Kathleen Benoza – The Japan Times, 31 March 2023.] READ MORE
Association Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and Early Childhood Development
Children exposed to COVID-19 pandemic in Japan are behind 4 months in development at age 5. [Koryu Sato, Taiyo Fukai, Keiko K. Fujisawa et all – JAMA Pediatrics, 10 July 2023.] READ MORE
Japan: Can anything be done to stop population decline?
Japan lost 800,000 people last year, with deaths outpacing births at a record rate. The government has plans to reverse this trend but many fear its efforts will fail. [Julian Ryall – DW, 3 [...]
Japan creates agency to tackle historically low birth rates
The new agency for overseeing child policies will address issues related to birth rates as well as tackling child abuse and poverty the government under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida struggles to [...]
Japan must reform its inflexible work culture
The COVID-19 pandemic may have been the exogenous shock that Japan needed to make people and organizations realize the downsides of an inflexible work culture. [Hiroshi Ono – East Asia [...]
Will Japan’s population shrink or swim?
Japan’s experience shows how difficult it is to restore fertility to the replacement level, especially when a country has a sizable population and a persistently low birth rate. [Noriko Tsuya [...]
