Japan’s New Thinking on Low Birthrate: Don’t Worry, Be Happy

TOKYO – Thinking about the low birth rate has changed in the world’s oldest country. Instead of trying to raise them dramatically, both the government and outside specialists are looking for ways to manage the population decline.

Japan said on Friday that the country’s total fertility rate in 2021 – a snapshot of the average number of babies a woman would have over a lifetime – fell to 1.3, its lowest level in 16 years. While the decline partly reflected the transitory effects of the pandemic, it has not exceeded 1.5 since the mid-1990s, well below the level needed to keep the population stable over the long term.