REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
- Elon Musk warned that “Japan will disappear” if the birth rate does not rise.
- The tweet sparked online debate about immigration policy and the cost of raising children.
- Experts told Insider that Japan’s fertility rate presents a major issue of gender equality.
Elon MuskBirth rate in JapanHe warned that Japan is in danger of disappearing if it does not make efforts to increase its population.
Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, posted a comment on Twitter about data from an article that Japan’s population fell by a record 644,000 in 2021.
“Of course, Japan will disappear unless there is some change in the birth rate above the mortality rate,” Musk tweeted.
“This is a huge loss to the world.”
Like many of Musk’s tweets, the message quickly became controversial, extending to immigration policy and the high costs of raising children.
Japan’s future population is not that simple, as it depends on immigrants’ changes (number of immigrants to Japan-number of immigrants from Japan).
What’s the point of tweeting this? The anxiety over the future of Japan’s demographics is not “Japan will eventually disappear”, but the social turmoil that accompanies the declining population.
Jennifer Robertson, an emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan and an expert on Japan, told Insider that he sees Mask’s warning as an example of “ignorance” and exaggeration.
“In Japan, the debate is heating up about the value of having a completely equal gender division of labor and a small population, and the value of having a large population instead,” Robertson said. “Politicians remain indifferent about why women (and many men) do not get married, why they do not have children when they get married,” and the costs of discrimination and children faced by single parents. He pointed out that there are few options for childcare in Japan.
Zack Cooper, a senior researcher at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy, told Insider that population concerns could be addressed by improving Japan’s immigration policy.
“If Japanese politicians relax immigration regulations, many people from abroad will come in for high-paying jobs in Japan, which will stabilize Japan’s population and help childcare and care workers. Let’s do it, “he said.
Steven Vogel, a professor of political science and Asian studies at the University of California, Berkeley, said that while Japan’s population decline does not appear to have a significant impact on the global economy, it includes countries such as Italy, Greece and South Korea. Of the birth rateGlobal declineHe said it could be a test case for.
This is not the first time Musk has expressed concern about a decline in fertility. In 2021, he said, “Civilization will collapse” if there are not enough people on the planet.Warning.. In 2017, the world’s population is “going to collapse.”Talking。
World BankAccording to the report, the world fertility rate has been steadily declining since the 1960s. Japan’s population has been declining for 11 consecutive years,The most elderly in the worldIt’s a country.
(Translation: Makiko Sato, Editing: Toshihiko Inoue)