The proportion of parents in Japan who want a second child has fallen to a record low of 28.2%, according to a survey by major life insurer Meiji Yasuda, highlighting growing financial pressures, demanding work schedules and concerns about the future that are making it increasingly difficult for families to consider having more children.
The figure represents a decline of more than five percentage points from last year, marking another record low. The survey found that uncertainty over future income, parental age, living expenses and education costs were among the leading reasons parents either did not want or felt unable to have another child.
Interviews with parents revealed that even those who would like to expand their families often face practical obstacles that make the decision difficult.
One parent expressed concern about whether the family could provide a financially secure upbringing for even one child. "I'm already worried about whether we can raise this child to adulthood without financial hardship," the parent said. "Having a second child would make that anxiety even stronger."
Housing costs are another obstacle, particularly for families living in urban areas where rents have risen sharply.
One parent explained that the family currently lives in a one-bedroom apartment with three people. Having another child would require moving to a larger two-bedroom property, bringing a substantial increase in monthly rent.
The additional housing expense, combined with everyday living costs, makes expanding the family a difficult financial decision.
Other parents cited the lack of support from relatives as a major concern. One family said both sets of grandparents live far away, leaving the parents without anyone nearby to help with childcare.
Their first child, a boy, had already required considerable attention, and the parents feared that caring for two children without family assistance would make their household responsibilities unmanageable.
Although they had discussed having another baby because they enjoyed raising their first child, the couple eventually decided that one child was the more realistic choice.
For some working parents, the greatest obstacle is not money but time.
One parent described the daily routine of finishing work, collecting a child from daycare, preparing meals, completing household chores and putting the child to bed, sometimes followed by another round of work late at night.
Such schedules are common among working mothers, leaving little opportunity for rest or personal activities, let alone the additional responsibilities of raising another child.
The burden becomes particularly severe when fathers work late into the evening, leaving mothers to handle most childcare responsibilities alone.
One working mother said her husband takes their child to daycare in the morning, but she manages the entire evening routine by herself, including dinner, bathing and bedtime.
"Working while raising a child is incredibly hard," she said, adding that she fully understands why some parents decide against having a second child.
The findings also suggest that some households are making a deliberate choice to have only one child in order to maintain their existing standard of living.
One mother said she would rather preserve financial flexibility for her family of three than have another child and face substantial cuts to household spending.
Raising two children would require tighter budgeting and sacrifices in everyday life, she explained, while remaining a three-person family would allow them to enjoy vacations, stay at traditional inns, eat the foods they like and purchase things they want.
Her comments illustrate how decisions about family size increasingly involve not only whether parents can afford another child, but also what kind of life they hope to provide for the family they already have.
A separate survey conducted through the TBS News DIG application also found that income and employment concerns featured prominently among parents' anxieties.
While balancing employment and childcare has long been an important issue, the responses suggest that financial pressures have become a more prominent concern in recent years.
Meiji Yasuda's findings also showed that food expenses have emerged as the largest area of perceived financial burden among parents, representing a significant change from 2018, when food costs ranked much lower.
The shift reflects the effect of rising prices on household budgets, with everyday necessities increasingly competing with longer-term spending on education, housing and childcare.
The survey found that average monthly child-rearing expenses had reached a record 43,356 yen per child, underscoring the growing financial demands facing families.
The mounting pressure has contributed to what has been described as a "double anxiety" among parents: concern about meeting immediate household expenses and uncertainty about their children's future.
Beyond rising food prices and education costs, families are increasingly worried about the sustainability of Japan's social security system, whether they will receive sufficient pensions and what economic conditions their children will face as adults.
Concerns about the future of aging parents add another layer of uncertainty, particularly for households that may eventually need to provide financial assistance or care for elderly relatives.
Together, these worries are making it harder for younger generations to feel confident that their living standards will improve over time.
The findings raise questions about whether existing government measures to support families are sufficient to address the obstacles discouraging parents from having more children.
One possible response would be to expand financial assistance for education, including increasing the availability of scholarships that do not require repayment or making more education expenses free of charge.
Such measures could reduce the long-term costs of raising children, but implementing them on a large scale would require substantial public funding.
The challenge is complicated by competing fiscal priorities, including proposals to reduce the consumption tax on food, which would lower government revenue.
Another approach would be to create economic conditions in which wage growth consistently exceeds inflation, allowing households to increase their purchasing power even as prices rise.
For example, an economy in which prices rose by 3% while wages increased by 5% would provide families with greater financial flexibility.
However, achieving sustained real wage growth and expanding public support simultaneously remain difficult policy objectives.
The survey illustrates how Japan's declining birthrate is connected to a wider sense of economic insecurity, with many parents reluctant to take on additional responsibilities when they are already struggling to balance income, employment, childcare and household expenses.
For families considering a second child, the decision increasingly extends beyond personal preference to whether they have the money, time, living space and support needed to raise another child without compromising the well-being of those already in their care.
Source: TBS
