Madan Gowri & MG Squad Talking About Japan Marriage Problem by using japan population photos

Japan is Running Out of People – Madan Gowri Explains one of the biggest mysteries of the modern world – why is Japan’s population falling faster than ever? From adult diapers outselling baby diapers to record-low marriage rates, Madan Gowri explores shocking truths about Japan’s demographic crisis. Why are Japanese youth avoiding relationships? Why is the government paying couples to have children? Is this the future for countries like India too?

00:00 – Intro

00:59 – Japan’s Baby Crisis

04:45 – Why?

05:12 – Decline in Marriage

07:23 – Solution?

11:10 – India?

00:00:00 Japan is facing a serious issue. Authorities are actively searching for a fix. They’ve built a Tinder-style platform to link young adults. This initiative is being run by local governments. The government even supports matchmakers like Seema Aunty. These matchmakers are officially appointed to help resolve the issue. It’s quite shocking—Japan’s government is pairing couples. Why? What is the root issue in Japan? I’ll walk you through Japan’s crisis and the response. Understanding this challenge is crucial.

00:00:37 Because it’s not limited to Japan—it’s becoming global. So, what exactly is the problem? And what can fix it? Let’s find out what’s happening in detail. But first, a quick thing— Stay informed with 10-minute global updates by subscribing. Join the MG Squad by subscribing to his channel. Now let’s begin. Hello, everyone! I’m Madan Gowri. Hello, my dear MG squad! (Intro music plays) Japan’s birth rate is lower than its death rate every year. Picture a group of 100 individuals. If 2 people die and 2 are born,

00:01:16 the number stays at 100. Let’s look at this using a household example. A home includes both parents and grandparents. If the grandparents pass away and 2 babies are born, the number stays 4. That way, the total count stays constant. When elders pass away, the young ones replace them. This keeps the family size steady. This is what we call population balance. Ideally, populations should increase. If 3 kids are born instead of 2, the number goes up. Two births per couple kept the population stable.

00:01:51 If just 1 child is born after the grandparents die, the count drops to 3 from 4. This slow decline creates big challenges. Who’s left in such a nation? Numbers keep falling. This is the heart of Japan’s crisis. But how does this problem show up in real life? One major sign: schools are shutting down. Over 9000 schools have been closed since 2002. There simply aren’t enough kids to attend them. Here’s another major concern: Typically, baby diapers are a booming industry. They’re essential for infants.

00:02:32 But in Japan, adult diapers outsell baby ones. Because there are more seniors than children. In 2024, Japan’s total population went down. Think about this. India, on the other hand, has population growth. That’s why Indians might find this hard to imagine. Think of a family of 4 shrinking to 3. Low births and higher deaths have become a problem. In 2024, Japan saw a population drop of 9 lakh people. Japan’s total population stands at around 12 crore. Losing 9 lakh is quite alarming. Today, 1 out of every 3 people in Japan is over 65.

00:03:14 The elderly population is steadily increasing. And Japan even has words for this crisis. They might sound unusual to non-Japanese listeners. One such word is Kodokushi—it means dying alone. Elderly people without families often pass away in isolation. When one partner dies, the other is left behind. In many cases, neighbors only discover the death after smelling something foul. That’s Kodokushi. It means lonely death. And it’s becoming more frequent. Another Japanese term is Akiya. It refers to vacant homes.

00:03:53 They once housed elderly grandparents. But there were no children to pass them on to. After the elders die, the homes are abandoned. Search for “Akiya homes Japan” to see these empty houses. Japan’s countryside has many abandoned homes without heirs. The 8th issue: crime among the elderly is rising in Japan recently. This is mainly due to poverty and isolation. Some elderly are neglected by their children. Many elderly people don’t have children. As a result, the elderly crime rate is going up.

00:04:28 These issues have led to larger social problems. Now you may understand Japan’s core problems. The birth rate is low. The working population is shrinking. At the same time, the elderly population is growing. Providing pensions for seniors is a major challenge for Japan. There are few workers but many pension recipients. This adds another problem for the government. So the question is—why is this happening? Why aren’t people having children? What is the problem for them? Let’s dive into that. Raising a child in Japan is extremely expensive.

00:04:59 Worldwide, raising children is expensive. In Japan, raising a child through college costs about 1.3 crores INR. In 2023, Japan recorded the lowest number of marriages in 90 years. Only 5 million marriages happened. This is worrying. The year 2023 saw the fewest marriages in Japan since 1890. Another big problem is overworking. This is called Karoshi. Why does it happen? It’s known as Karoshi. Which means excessive overwork. It can even cause death from overwork. Karoshi is a Japanese term. Legally, Japan’s workday is 8 hours.

00:05:41 But many people work overtime regularly. Overworking is sometimes seen as a good quality. So, people spend more time working than at home or dating. More than half of Japanese men under 30… …aren’t interested in marriage or dating. Women often see having children as a career obstacle. Many women avoid childbirth to focus on their careers. In the West, couples can have children before marriage. But in Japan, like in India, this is still taboo. Having children outside marriage is socially shocking.

00:06:24 Japan reacts the same way. Young people feel marriage is too expensive. Some have lost interest in it. But they also don’t want children outside marriage. These concerns are common. Such factors are lowering birth rates. Japan still holds on to traditional family values. Having children before marriage remains socially unacceptable. Often, children care for aging parents. This is common worldwide. There is a tradition of parent care. Due to high costs, many avoid raising children. Low income also discourages child-rearing.

00:07:02 Japan faces many such problems. Many young men are losing interest in love and marriage. Women prefer to focus on their careers. So what is the solution? Encourage men and women to marry and have children. The government has taken several steps to support this. One initiative is an app called Tokyo Futari Story. This app is launched by the Tokyo city government. Yes, it’s a dating app. Created by the government. Unlike Tinder, its goal is marriage. It helps people find marriage partners. The app verifies users’ age, income, and background.

00:07:50 AI matches them with suitable partners. It matches those who are ready to marry and have children. This is quite unique. Yes, the government made this app. Another effort in Tokyo is a new 4-day work week scheme. It’s unclear how widespread it is. The idea is to give Friday to Sunday off. Work only Monday to Thursday. You get three days off. People can use that time to have and raise children. The government promotes this idea. Another step is financial incentives when a child is born. In some villages in Japan,

00:08:32 they even give lakhs of yen to families for having children. This is because many villages face shrinking populations. In Japan, there is a tradition called Omiai. Omiai is matchmaking, like the concept shown in Netflix’s “Seema Aunty.” They match a boy and girl for marriage through this system. The government has created brokers to facilitate Omiai. This practice is still common in Japan. The government invests in Omiai to encourage marriage and childbirth. Next, paternity leave for fathers. We all know about maternity leave—

00:09:15 giving leave to pregnant women is common. But in Japan, fathers also get leave. They hope this encourages having children. Next, retirement age globally is usually around 60, right? In Japan, although retirement is officially at 60, many elders continue working. Many work until 65 or older due to financial needs. Due to labor shortages, working until 65 isn’t seen as a problem. So even if retirement age is 60, working longer is accepted. If someone retires at 65, they still need care and support.

00:09:51 In older times, grandparents had up to 10 children to care for them. Each child would take turns supporting their parents. Now, families are smaller—10 children became 5, now often just 1. This is the situation in India. In Japan, people without relatives often have robot caretakers. Finally… Some couples want children but face fertility challenges. They visit fertility clinics for treatment. The Japanese government subsidizes fertility treatments. Fertility treatments are among the most expensive medical procedures.

00:10:23 The government now encourages couples with subsidies to have babies. Japan is facing problems… like people losing interest in marriage and childbirth. People like Elon Musk warn that this problem might spread globally. They encourage having more children. He believes it’s essential for the survival of humanity. People like Elon Musk supports the idea of having more children. Having more children is essential for the future of the human race. If populations decline too much, it will be a major problem.

00:10:54 There won’t be enough people to work or support progress. That’s why people like Elon Musk suggest more childbirth, seeing Japan’s situation. This is the overall situation. There’s a reason I suddenly chose this topic today. Even in India, many people prefer staying single and avoiding marriage. That’s why this topic felt relevant after seeing these discussions. India might face a similar challenge in the next 10 years. What do you think? Do you think having children is a challenge or not? Or is childbirth not a big challenge and seen as positive?

00:11:28 I agree, it’s a positive thing. But is childbirth really challenging? If yes, please share what kinds of challenges you faced. And if your experience was smooth and easy, please share that too. See you in tomorrow’s video. For topic ideas, please leave them in the comments. Or DM your ideas to Madan Gowri on Instagram. Let’s always stay connected on Instagram. See you in the next video! Until then, bye! This is Madan Gowri signing off. Love you all! Take care, bye! Cheers, MGs!