Japan Press Weekly

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2009 June 10 - 16 [US FORCES]

For an increase in Japan’s birthrate

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Japan’s total fertility rate - the average number of children a woman gives birth to in her lifetime - was 1.37, indicating that Japanese society is losing its vigor and is in decline.

Rules to protect workers’ rights and livelihoods in Japan are so inadequate that many women, in particular those who have temporary jobs, are frequently dismissed once they become pregnant, give birth, and take a leave of absence for rearing babies. Due to the increase in unstable jobs and long working hours, and the continuing discrimination against women, plus the difficulty for women workers to return to their workplace after childbirth, many young women are being discouraged from getting married or choosing to have babies.

In addition, rearing children is very costly. Tuition fees at universities in Japan are the highest in the world, and public assistance to households with small children is far more inadequate than in most European countries. More than 60 percent of households rearing children say, “It’s very difficult to make ends meet.” A shortage of child-care centers is also a serious issue. In Tokyo and Yokohama, the number of children on waiting lists for childcare centers has increased by 150 percent from the previous year and many parents are complaining about this.

Although 90 percent of people in Japan say they wish to get married, have a home, and have at least two children, such a poor child-rearing environment is hampering their wishes from being fulfilled.

The government led by the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties has presented new measures against the falling birthrate, including one-time cash handouts only to households with children aged 3-5 years old and extra subsidies for maternal checkups only for the next two years. The media criticizes these measures as short-term pork-barrel spending. What is more, the government is attempting to use the low-birthrate countermeasures as an excuse to increase the consumption tax rate as hinted at by Obuchi Yuko, state minister in charge of the issue regarding the declining birthrate.

The Japanese Communist Party has consistently worked hard to secure employment, expand child-support programs, and improve the availability and quality of child-care and education in order to establish an economically sound society in which people can have and raise children without financial anxieties.