Japan may cease to exist, warns PM Fumio Kishida aide as birthrate plummets to record levels

Japan may disappear if the current trend of falling birth rate continues, warned Masako Mori, an upper house lawmaker and former minister whoadvises Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the falling birthrate problem.

"If we go on like this, the country will disappear. It's the people who have to live through the process of disappearance who will face enormous harm. It's a terrible disease that will afflict those children," said Mori.

Mori did not sugarcoat his words and added that children will be born in a diabolical society.

"It's not falling gradually, it's heading straight down. A nosedive means children being born now will be thrown into a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function."

Last week, statistics released by the Ministry of Health painted a rather dystopianpicture. Twice as many people died as were born in the country with 799,728 birth reported compared to 1.58 million deaths.

What does the data say?

It was a continuation of a decade-long trend where the Japanese population declined but the first instance when total births had dipped below the 800,000 mark. In 2020, it reported 840,832 births and in 2021; it reported a 3.5 per cent fall to 811,604.

The fall in birth rate does not augur well for the world's third-largest economy. Failure to replace the dead population means that there will be a shortage in the workforce.

Consequently, older people will be forced to fill in and attempt to propel the economy on an upward trajectory - a highly difficult proposition from the outset.

Japan is alreadythe world's second-oldest country with a median age of 49. About, 28 per cent of its population is aged 65 years or older. With no young population on the bench, the economic story of Japan may come to a grinding halt.

Japanese PM Kishida has stated the situation is grim and that it cannot be put in cold storage any more.

"Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society. Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed."

The government has launched multiple policies to encourage childbirth and ensure sustainable birth practices. However, the pathlooks bleak at the moment and the results of the schemes will only come to light in the next few years.

(With inputs from agencies)

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