Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A survey in Japan has shown that more than half of men and women aged 15 to 39 “don’t want to raise children.”

The survey conducted by TBS News received responses from4,000 men and women, with 52.0 percent answering that they “don’t have children and don’t want to raise children.” 

For those with an annual income of less than 2.99 million yen(approximately $20,000) or a household income of less than 3.99 million yen ($26,800), the figure rose to around 60 percent. 

When asked what measures were necessary or very necessary to combat the declining birthrate (with multiple answers allowed) 78.2 percent chose “improvement of work-life balance,” 77.8 percent chose “more flexible working styles,” and 64.8 percent chose “free high school tuition.”

Professor SUETOMI Yoshi of Nihon University, who conducted the online survey, pointed out that “while school lunches and free high school tuition have received a certain amount of support, we need to comprehensively approach the risks that young people are concerned about, such as issues with working styles.”

A report by the Ministry of Finance previously found that the direct cost of raising children and the possibility of compatibility of child care and the employment of married women were the most influential factors in giving birth.

In December, Tokyo Government announced that, starting in April, city employees will be allowed to take three days off each week, according to a report in Newsweek. “We’ll keep reviewing our work styles flexibly so that nobody has to give up their careers due to life events such as childbirth and childcare,” the Government said.