The Japanese government has begun to consult young people about their interest in marriage – or lack thereof – as Japan continues to struggle with a demographic crisis that is expected to result in a sharp population decline over the next decades.
The Children and Families Agency, launched in April 2023, held its first working group meeting on Friday to support young people in their efforts to find partners through dating, matchmaking and other means. Attenders included those considering marriage in the future and experts versed in the challenges facing younger people.
The government recognised that ideas about marriage among young people are different from what was once considered standard, an agency official said. The government has been seeking experts’ views and now wants those of single people.
Do they need people to talk about their work culture? Why have kids when I have to live in 74.5 square feet of space? Work expectations that wouldn’t allow me time to spend with my child? Or those who see the world situation and say why would I bring a child into this dumpster fire?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The Japanese government has begun to consult young people about their interest in marriage – or lack thereof – as Japan continues to struggle with a demographic crisis that is expected to result in a sharp population decline over the next decades.
The Children and Families Agency, launched in April 2023, held its first working group meeting on Friday to support young people in their efforts to find partners through dating, matchmaking and other means.
“The main premise is that marriage and child-rearing should be based on the respect for diverse values and ways of thinking of individuals,” Ayuko Kato, the minister of state for policies related to children, told the gathering.
The agency cited the results of a survey of single people, aged 25 to 34, showing 43.3% of men and 48.1% of women said they had no opportunity to meet potential partners in 2021.
Because comparatively few children are born to unmarried people in Japan, the decline of marriage has been cited as a significant reason for its low birthrate and dwindling, ageing population.
Meanwhile, births dropped 5.1% to 758,631, a new record low and almost reaching 755,000, a figure the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research had predicted for 2035.
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