Hong Kong
CNN
—
A toddler using on his father’s shoulders smiles as they stroll by way of a park lined with yellow autumn-touched leaves – that’s the typical picture of a Japanese “ikumen”.
The time period strings collectively the Japanese phrases ikuji, which means care for kids, and ikemen, referring to cool-looking males.
Japanese authorities have extensively promoted the time period previously decade to fight the nation’s notoriously lengthy working hours that haven’t solely disadvantaged workaholic fathers of household time and stay-home moms of careers, however have helped drive the start price to one of many lowest on the planet.
To grab the “final probability to reverse” the scenario, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida final week unveiled a raft of insurance policies, together with boosts to youngster help and a pledge to elevate the variety of male employees taking paternity depart from the present 14% to 50% by 2025, and 85% by 2030.
However some on the planet’s third-largest economic system – which has lengthy struggled with a falling fertility rate and an getting old inhabitants – are skeptical the plan can actually transfer the needle.
Makoto Iwahashi, a member of POSSE, a labor union devoted to youthful employees, stated whereas the federal government’s plan was well-intentioned, many Japanese males had been just too scared to take paternity depart because of potential repercussions from their employers.
Japanese males are entitled to 4 weeks of versatile paternity depart, on as much as 80% of their wage, beneath a invoice handed by the Japanese parliament in 2021.
Japan’s rural communities are dying out. The issue is, so are its cities
However regardless of the regulation, males remained “afraid” that taking the depart might have a detrimental impact on their promotion prospects or that they might be reassigned to a unique place with fewer duties, Iwahashi stated.
Whereas it’s unlawful to discriminate towards employees who take maternity and paternity depart in Japan, Iwahashi stated employees on fixed-term contracts had been notably weak.
And anyway, “Just a little tweak on paternity depart gained’t considerably change a declining start price,” he added.
Hisakazu Kato, an economics professor at Meiji College in Tokyo, stated whereas massive corporations had turn into extra accepting of parental depart over time, smaller companies nonetheless had reservations.
“Small corporations are afraid they’ll face (employee shortages) because of childcare depart, and this places stress on younger fathers who wish to take childcare depart in future,” he stated.
At a press convention final week, the prime minister acknowledged the issues and pledged to think about offering allowances for small and medium-sized enterprises, with particulars to be introduced in June at his yearly coverage blueprint.
He additionally unveiled a plan aimed toward boosting the uptake of paternity depart by encouraging companies to reveal their efficiency.
In 2022, the variety of new births in Japan dipped beneath 800,000 for the primary time since data started in 1899, the most recent milestone in a pattern that the federal government sees as more and more alarming.
Final week, Kishida went so far as to warn that “the subsequent six to seven years would be the final probability to reverse the declining birthrate pattern”.
However Stuart Gietel-Basten, a professor of public coverage and social science at The Hong Kong College of Science and Know-how, cautioned {that a} low start price was usually an indication of entrenched cultural components that might doubtless be proof against insurance policies modifications. Such components may vary from work tradition to gender attitudes, he added.
“Rising paternity depart is an efficient coverage, little question. It’s going to actually present many males (and ladies) with a optimistic consequence. Nevertheless, except the prevailing cultural norms and attitudes change the affect at a macro degree could possibly be restricted,” stated the scholar.
Riki Khorana, 26, who plans to tie the knot along with his girlfriend in June, stated the excessive value of dwelling was certainly one of his greatest issues in beginning a household.
Working as an engineer at certainly one of Japan’s greatest conglomerates on the coronary heart of Tokyo, the nation’s capital, he recognized himself as a comparatively excessive earner, but he stated he at the moment lives along with his mother and father in Yokohama, Japan’s second largest metropolis south of Tokyo.
After getting married, he’ll transfer out of his mother or father’s home however will nonetheless have to remain in Yokohama because of Tokyo’s excessive rents.
Tokyo is the ninth most costly metropolis for expatriates to stay in, in response to US consulting agency Mercer’s Value of Dwelling Survey.
Khorana stated he deliberate to have two kids, but when there have been more practical authorities insurance policies then he would contemplate extra.
“For me, I really feel like I can’t afford greater than two kids,” he stated. “There are much less financially safe individuals who assume they can not have multiple youngster.”
The nation’s fertility price – the typical variety of kids born to girls throughout their reproductive years – has fallen to 1.3, far beneath the two.1 required to take care of a secure inhabitants.
Over time, specialists have additionally pointed to a way of prevailing pessimism amongst younger individuals who, as a result of pressures of labor and financial stagnation, have little confidence sooner or later.
Final week, the prime minister stated he deliberate market reforms that might push up wages and financial help for younger employees. He additionally pledged to introduce advantages that would help freelance or self-employed employees and spoke of additional allowances for youngster help, schooling and housing.
The economics professor Kato felt the brand new insurance policies had been unlikely to be sufficient to resolve the nation’s demographic issues.
However he noticed a silver lining in encouraging paternity depart.
“I feel this can be a good proposal because it not solely improves household insurance policies, but additionally gender equality,” he stated.
Hong Kong
CNN
—
A toddler using on his father’s shoulders smiles as they stroll by way of a park lined with yellow autumn-touched leaves – that’s the typical picture of a Japanese “ikumen”.
The time period strings collectively the Japanese phrases ikuji, which means care for kids, and ikemen, referring to cool-looking males.
Japanese authorities have extensively promoted the time period previously decade to fight the nation’s notoriously lengthy working hours that haven’t solely disadvantaged workaholic fathers of household time and stay-home moms of careers, however have helped drive the start price to one of many lowest on the planet.
To grab the “final probability to reverse” the scenario, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida final week unveiled a raft of insurance policies, together with boosts to youngster help and a pledge to elevate the variety of male employees taking paternity depart from the present 14% to 50% by 2025, and 85% by 2030.
However some on the planet’s third-largest economic system – which has lengthy struggled with a falling fertility rate and an getting old inhabitants – are skeptical the plan can actually transfer the needle.
Makoto Iwahashi, a member of POSSE, a labor union devoted to youthful employees, stated whereas the federal government’s plan was well-intentioned, many Japanese males had been just too scared to take paternity depart because of potential repercussions from their employers.
Japanese males are entitled to 4 weeks of versatile paternity depart, on as much as 80% of their wage, beneath a invoice handed by the Japanese parliament in 2021.
Japan’s rural communities are dying out. The issue is, so are its cities
However regardless of the regulation, males remained “afraid” that taking the depart might have a detrimental impact on their promotion prospects or that they might be reassigned to a unique place with fewer duties, Iwahashi stated.
Whereas it’s unlawful to discriminate towards employees who take maternity and paternity depart in Japan, Iwahashi stated employees on fixed-term contracts had been notably weak.
And anyway, “Just a little tweak on paternity depart gained’t considerably change a declining start price,” he added.
Hisakazu Kato, an economics professor at Meiji College in Tokyo, stated whereas massive corporations had turn into extra accepting of parental depart over time, smaller companies nonetheless had reservations.
“Small corporations are afraid they’ll face (employee shortages) because of childcare depart, and this places stress on younger fathers who wish to take childcare depart in future,” he stated.
At a press convention final week, the prime minister acknowledged the issues and pledged to think about offering allowances for small and medium-sized enterprises, with particulars to be introduced in June at his yearly coverage blueprint.
He additionally unveiled a plan aimed toward boosting the uptake of paternity depart by encouraging companies to reveal their efficiency.
In 2022, the variety of new births in Japan dipped beneath 800,000 for the primary time since data started in 1899, the most recent milestone in a pattern that the federal government sees as more and more alarming.
Final week, Kishida went so far as to warn that “the subsequent six to seven years would be the final probability to reverse the declining birthrate pattern”.
However Stuart Gietel-Basten, a professor of public coverage and social science at The Hong Kong College of Science and Know-how, cautioned {that a} low start price was usually an indication of entrenched cultural components that might doubtless be proof against insurance policies modifications. Such components may vary from work tradition to gender attitudes, he added.
“Rising paternity depart is an efficient coverage, little question. It’s going to actually present many males (and ladies) with a optimistic consequence. Nevertheless, except the prevailing cultural norms and attitudes change the affect at a macro degree could possibly be restricted,” stated the scholar.
Riki Khorana, 26, who plans to tie the knot along with his girlfriend in June, stated the excessive value of dwelling was certainly one of his greatest issues in beginning a household.
Working as an engineer at certainly one of Japan’s greatest conglomerates on the coronary heart of Tokyo, the nation’s capital, he recognized himself as a comparatively excessive earner, but he stated he at the moment lives along with his mother and father in Yokohama, Japan’s second largest metropolis south of Tokyo.
After getting married, he’ll transfer out of his mother or father’s home however will nonetheless have to remain in Yokohama because of Tokyo’s excessive rents.
Tokyo is the ninth most costly metropolis for expatriates to stay in, in response to US consulting agency Mercer’s Value of Dwelling Survey.
Khorana stated he deliberate to have two kids, but when there have been more practical authorities insurance policies then he would contemplate extra.
“For me, I really feel like I can’t afford greater than two kids,” he stated. “There are much less financially safe individuals who assume they can not have multiple youngster.”
The nation’s fertility price – the typical variety of kids born to girls throughout their reproductive years – has fallen to 1.3, far beneath the two.1 required to take care of a secure inhabitants.
Over time, specialists have additionally pointed to a way of prevailing pessimism amongst younger individuals who, as a result of pressures of labor and financial stagnation, have little confidence sooner or later.
Final week, the prime minister stated he deliberate market reforms that might push up wages and financial help for younger employees. He additionally pledged to introduce advantages that would help freelance or self-employed employees and spoke of additional allowances for youngster help, schooling and housing.
The economics professor Kato felt the brand new insurance policies had been unlikely to be sufficient to resolve the nation’s demographic issues.
However he noticed a silver lining in encouraging paternity depart.
“I feel this can be a good proposal because it not solely improves household insurance policies, but additionally gender equality,” he stated.