Comments by "G L" (@gelinrefira) on "Why Japan’s Population Is Still Declining - Japanese interview" video.

  1. It's a capitalism issue. The people interviewed all said roughly the same reasons why the Japanese are not having more children: not enough money, interferes with work, both parents work, though the women taking of the household is still a cultural relic from the past. In other words, the lack of stability and security, especially financial, and way way too much work, that ultimately make people not to want to get married and have children. It is the relentless pursuit of profits in capitalism that shaped the society into what it is today. The companies demand more and more from their workers, while paying less and less to maximize profits, all the while producing all sorts of distractions (so many things to do in Tokyo) that just alienate people. The interview with the two ladies is very revealing: one wants to have children but not get married, the other wants to get married but not have children. Both scenarios is about trying to wrest some control over their lives that have been taken over by work, and distractions (ie. alienation). The interview with the two guys really brings home the point: more work, less pay, less sex, kids are financial burdens. This is caused by capitalism.
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