One of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s flagship policies is a “different dimension of countermeasures against the declining birthrate.” The government is reportedly considering increasing the burden of social insurance premiums by about 500 yen per person per month as a source of funding for new child policy.
There is no objection to the importance of countermeasures against the declining birthrate that affect Japan’s future, and it is a policy that is unlikely to provoke public opposition.
Nonetheless, if the public burden increases, some people will show disapproval, and various requests will be made. Will the number of children really increase even if we increase the burden on the people and expand the allowances related to child-rearing? It’s hard to see what kind of blueprint the government has in this regard.

Personally, I think that the expansion of the allowance is a policy with little effect. It is somewhat effective as an election measure, but it will not be a drastic solution.
The drastic solution to the declining birthrate is limited to stabilizing society and making it possible to see the future. “Rural areas will disappear”, “A large number of immigrants will come”, “Human jobs will disappear due to the spread of AI”, and “You never know when you will be involved in a war”. In the current situation where such negative information is flying around, people are anxious about the future. There are quite a few people who have the idea that it is all they can do to survive on their own, and put the brakes on getting married and having children.

Conversely, if anxiety about the future is dispelled, those who want to get married will get married, and those who want to have children will have children. Marriage, childbirth, and child rearing should be fun if society becomes stable and people have high hopes for the future. Humans want fun. No matter how much government allowances are expanded, people will not hesitate to get married and have children if they do not find it enjoyable.

Paradoxically, creating a society that can function even if the population declines is the decisive factor in increasing the population. No matter how much the government yells, “We will keep the population at 100 million,” no one will believe it. On the other hand, if we appeal to people to create a society in which people can enjoy affluence even when the population reaches 50 million, many people will see future possibilities in it. (Kei Kitajima)