May 29 (Nikkei) - At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan braced itself for the devastation of its elderly population. Yet, the biggest demographic blow arrived not in the form of more people dying but fewer people being born.
Extrapolating the latest government statistics from January to March, Japan can expect 80,000 fewer babies this year -- a 9.2% fall in the birthrate compared to 2020 -- while COVID-19 has so far claimed the lives of fewer than 13,000 people.
Not only is Japan graying rapidly, but its population is also shrinking at an alarming speed. If we believe that a stable and well-balanced population is essential to a nation's sustainability, then we must act fast to counteract this demographic crisis. To put it simply: We need more couples to want to have babies.
The only way to move the needle in the right direction is to change the behavior of men, both at work and at home. Women can help, too, by working with men.
A low birthrate is not unique to Japan among the world's developed economies. The reasons behind falling birthrates are complex, involving feelings about the future, the desire to couple with a long-term partner, and how much time and money people have at their disposal.
The good news for Japan is that there is at least the desire to have more babies. In fact, statistics suggest that Japanese couples are holding back.
The last time the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research asked, back in 2015, the average number of children that Japanese couples said they wanted was 2.32, compared to the actual number of children per couple of 1.94.
While Japanese women have leaned in to a world designed by and for men, most men have done little -- if anything -- to change. Yet the empowerment of women must not rely solely on women, and men -- the quiet passengers of womenomics -- must change not just for their own good but for their partners too.
With the pandemic knocking down so many long-standing Japanese work customs, managers can finally dispense with the needless face-time culture, instill meritocracy and make the workplace more people-friendly by things such as capping the hours people spend at work without lowering productivity.
