Report No.231007
Vol.23 No.10 July 2006

Preserve the Child-rearing Capacity of Farming and Mountainous Communities!

How many children a Japanese woman gives births to in her lifetime? That is what 'the total fertility rate' shows. The fertility rate has registered another major drop and hit 1.25 point, which is the lowest number ever recorded. Continued decline in the fertility rate has triggered a decline in the size of population: a decline starting earlier than forecast. The fact that the government is keen on putting in place countermeasures against the declining birth rate eloquently foretells of the difficulty in reversing the trend. 

Although the birth rate in the countryside remains higher than it is in urban areas, yet it is likewise on the declining trend. The countryside birth rate is additionally affected by the declining population caused by social reasons, where collapse is an increasing threat for not a few rural communities. Actions need to be taken urgently to build a society where young people can feel at ease to have and raise children, and to build farming and mountainous communities where youths will settle willingly.

While the total fertility rate has been on the decline for the last several years, 2005 saw a decline by a big margin of 0.04. Unless the rate is kept above 2.07, population will shrink. If nothing is done to arrest the trend, we will be in for an era of major population shrinkage. 

If smaller sized population is accepted as symbolizing an era with more space to breathe, it is a totally different story. If not, however, the impact of smaller population on the economy resulting in shorter supply of labor and smaller size of consumers market etc. should be seriously taken. The pension system also will be forced to sit on much shaky base. The pension system, as it stands now, needs a birth rate recovered to 1.39 and remains stable thereafter. Actual trend is in totally opposite direction. 

Non-marriage, late marriage and married couples having fewer children are the direct causes of lower birth rate. Yet, either marriage or more children can not be forced upon. The surrounding must provide an environment for higher birth rate. Various anxieties about the society including what will become of the future must be removed, with economic support for education and safe environment for child-rearing being provided without saying. 

While the birth rate is on the declining trend, that in areas embracing rural or mountainous villages and remote islands is relatively higher compared to that in areas with major cities in them. This reflects bigger 'total capacity of child-rearing' in former areas because there are people who look after kids and they have good environment. 

Yet, that capacity may be lost when the local economy weakens with farming and wood industries deteriorating. It is important to make efforts to build an environment supported by infrastructure for dwelling and activated economy in which young people can make living. 

Child rearing should not continue to be left in the hands of family members alone. In this context, support for women engaged in farming is also indispensable. Use should be made of intra-family partnership agreement or of a system of helpers. Most desirably, some sort of social security mechanism needs to be instituted such as 'the system of substitute labor dispatch in times of child-birth' practiced in France. This system allows a maximum of 6 week pre-birth holidays and 10 week post-birth holidays on condition that a beneficiary joins in farm manager disease & child birth insurance. Husband can also take 11 days off. While they are taking holidays, people accustomed to farming are dispatched from a temporary helpers firm. Cost of hiring helpers is covered by both a special payment of the beneficiary and the insurance money of the agriculture social insurance in which the government is also involved. The beneficiaries "can take holidays without worry," according to the evaluation of the users of the system. 

For the birth rate to rise, we can only rely on young people to opt a way of life to marry and have children. And the only way that it can be expected is to make sure that the government ministries, business associations and organizations extend their supports and family members also make better understanding and support. Every possible means should be employed to create a society where young people can rear children at ease. 

(from an editorial in the June 3, 2006 issue of the Nihon Nogyo Shinbun)

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