Children of Men (for real): Japan's Child Pop. Drops for 27th Straight Year

re: Children of Men (for real): Japan's Child Pop. Drops for 27th Straight Year

Manjari — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:18:18 GMT

I appreciate your comment Sherry. Cassie, it's amazing how comfortable you feel making these sweeping generalizations. I am not a huge stickler for political correctness, but how about any kind of correctness?

re: Children of Men (for real): Japan's Child Pop. Drops for 27th Straight Year

Manjari — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:17:11 GMT

re: Children of Men (for real): Japan's Child Pop. Drops for 27th Straight Year

Sherry — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:58:24 GMT

Oh, Casssie, the things that you write amuse me so. Somehow I imagine the things you actually know about Japan could be written on the head of a pin.

Although elective abortion is certainly available in Japan without the drama that you find in the US, it is not the number one form of birth control. Condoms are the most common. Yes, low dose birth control pills were approved after the approval of Viagra, about 10 years ago, but the older, higher dose kind have been available for a very long time. Part of the reason Japanese women don't take the pill is due to "old wives tales" like they cause you to gain weight, but the bigger reason is that Japanese people tend not to want to get on a medication when they are perfectly healthy, and they don't want to stay on a medication for long periods of time. Adoption in Japan is rare because if a child is without parents some other family member usually steps in and takes care of the child.

The reasons there are fewer children born in Japan is very complicated and includes a whole long lists of economic and social reasons. It can't be summed up so flippantly as "they are still stuck living in feudal times."

re: Children of Men (for real): Japan's Child Pop. Drops for 27th Straight Year

Cassie — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:01:29 GMT

The number one method of birth control in Japan is elective abortion. Most women will not take the pill because there are a lot of wives tales about it and they were not widely available until just recently after Viagra was released. Adoption in Japan is rare and if a couple does adopt they usually try to pass the child off as biological. Bloodlines are very important in Japan. They are still stuck in the feudal times. They actually have less children these days because it is very expensive to live in Japan and to send a child to school. So they put all their eggs in one basket.

re: Children of Men (for real): Japan's Child Pop. Drops for 27th Straight Year

Karen — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:58:14 GMT

"as a country becomes richer, birth rates tend to decline"...

except when a rich country has policies and programs (parental leave, affordable childcare...) that support families. Case in point: Denmark