4 Signs of Improvement in Japan’s Declining Population Woes

Japan is facing a declining population. Some have predicted that the country may have as much as 25% fewer people by 2050.

However, 2006 saw some improvement for the country.

1. Births were up 23,000 over 2005 to 1,086,000.

2. Birth rate was up to 1.29 over the record low of 1.26 set last year but below the 2.1 birth rate needed to keep the population steady.

3. 18,000 more couples got married last year than the year before.

4. 4,000 less couples called it quits in 2006 than in 2005.

Japan is calling for increased child care in the work place, greater gender equality and allowing workers more flexibility to care for family.

These efforts are hoped to lead to more Japanese in the sack, doing other things besides sleeping.

The biggest obstacles – women are afraid they will have to quit work after having kids, and the high cost of raising them.

Maybe Japanese companies can start footing the bill for all those kids' expenses.

But then prices would go up and …okay, I don't have the answer.

What do you think?