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In full birth crisis, Japan faces an extra challenge in 2026: a superstition

September 27, 2025 by usatoday24

Japan is a country with several calendars. The Western, or Gregorian, is common in the Asian country, which also has its own calendar, based on the “Eras”, the reign periods of its emperors. But in the culture of the country there is still the embers of another calendar, the one based on the traditional Chinese calendar. In 2026 we can verify to what extent this embers is still alive in the Japanese archipelago. To understand why we have to go a complete cycle behind, the year 1966. That year Japan experienced A significant phenomenon: a Fall marked in birthan abrupt contrast with the historical series. If in 1965 around 1.82 million children were born, in 1966 the figure was 1.36 million, 25% less, according to Explain Japan Times. The births were immediately recovered: in 1967 they rolled 1.94 million. The collapse in birth can also be seen in the Japanese health ministry data. As explained by the international agency, the fertility rate went from 2.14 in 1965 to 1.58 in 1966, to “bounce” up to 2.23 the following year. The data was not the result of a statistical anomaly or a disaster, neither natural nor created by the human being. We can see this reflected in an increase in induced abortions in the country, which was recorded A study Posted in 1974 in the magazine Annals of Human Biology. It was the fault of a superstition. The year 1966 corresponded (approximately) to the year of the horse of fire in the cycle on which the traditional Chinese calendar is based. The calendar based on the sexagesimal cycle used in some Asian countries relates each of the 60 years of its cycle with one of Twelve animals (which includes the rat, the tiger, the dragon and also the horse), and one of five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water). And what is special for the year Hinoeuma? According to Japanese superstition, women born during the Fire horse year They will kill their husbands or, according to translations, will be at least the cause of the death of their spouses. This would have taken many couples of childbearing age to avoid pregnancy (or even interrupt), at a time when, as Emi Suzuki and Haruna Kashiwase explain in An article For him Data Blog of the World Bank, there was no possibility of a selective abortion depending on sex. Another important detail mentioned in its article is that the phenomenon occurred more marked in rural Japan and not so much in the urban context, which reflects the greatest follow -up that this type of superstitions used to have in the rural world. 60 years of change 60 years is a long time and Japanese society is no longer the one. Will something be repeated again similar in 2026? There are two reasons why it can be suspected that, if the fall in birth rate occurs, this will be of a minor magnitude of experienced in 66. The first reason is in the slightest weight that today has the superstitious in society. Japan lived an abrupt transition series between the end of the EDO era and the present. One of the most vertiginous progress is the one that led a country ravaged by war to become a worldwide technological innovation pole. 1966 It can be seen as a year of transition in this context, 2026 not so much. In any case, the peculiar relationship between Japanese tradition and modernity is often difficult to understand from the western point of view, so it is not convenient to venture into this direction. However, there is another fact that takes us away from that year 1966: 1.15. We said at the beginning that between 1965 and 1966 the Japanese fertility rate went from 2.1 to 1.6. The fall associated with the year Hinoeuma It was punctual and was reversed the following year, but if we looked at the set of the Historical data we see that it is a small detour in a curve with A marked trend: Japan He runs out of birth progressively. According to data from the Japanese Ministry of Health cited by Suzuki and Kashiwasethe Japanese fertility rate was descending throughout the second half of the twentieth century, first quickly and then slower. In 1989 the birth rate would be located again in 1.58 and has not been recovered or expected to do so. It was known as he “shock of 1.57 “ When the rate fell below the year Hinoeuma. Today the rate It is already 1.15. A few years before, in 1987, Japan celebrated a kind of “Fiesta de Quintos”, a celebration in honor of the generation that had turned 20 in the previous months, those born in Hinoeuma. The newspaper The New York Times It echoed of that celebration and superstition that had diminished the generation held that year. Then it seemed clear that the “fifths” of 86 would be the smallest promotion in history, but they would only be for a short time. In Xataka | While the population of Japan sinks irremediably, Tokyo grows. There is an explanation: Ikkyoku Shūchū Image | Evgeny Tchebotarev

The lowest birth rate forced South Korea to a desperate measure: hire foreign nanny

September 13, 2025 by usatoday24

Of all the problems in South Korea, one was certainly shocking in September last year (things have changed a little Since then): they had the lowest birth rate in the world, of 0.72 children per woman. In recent years, governments and administrations have been passing, but no one managed to stop the descent, nor the super checksnor the rocambolesque idea that Girls begin the school before. The next measure was a symptom of the crisis: they are being forced to Hire foreign nanny. Nannies and visas. As part of the Government’s strategy, the hiring of 100 Philippine nannies that could work in the country since then. The measure was just the beginning, since approximately 1,200 foreign nannies for the first half of 2025and a “more affordable” program Last March. A problem without solution. Despite government efforts during the last 17 years, including An expense of 380 billion wones (Around 284,000 million dollars) In various incentives to increase fertility, the birth rate has continued to plumn. The desperate situation that in Seoul was warned that the country could be the first of the world to disappear due to this demographic decline is such. Moreover, the administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol recognized that drastic measures are needed to reverse this trend, and that was the first of the ideas: the introduction of foreign nannies with the aim of relieving the load of the care of children of parents who work, especially in households with double income, and ultimately increase the birth rate. The new policy. As The Government reportedthe entrance was formed between 24 and 38 years old who have the national level II certificate of care certification of the Filipino Government and who have received wide training. Their skills, according to the government, include the care of children, domestic tasks and the basic domain of the Korean language. In addition, the workers do it with an E-9 visa, which allows employment in non-professional sectors in the country, and will be part of a pilot program restricted to Seoul residents. This six -month program aims to provide affordable child care services with homes with children under 12, single -parent families and those with several children. Who pays the party. The lack of affordable nurseries is one of the main concerns among the parents who work, hence the question is more pertinent than ever, who paid the babysitters? According to the Seoul government, hire a foreign nanny for eight hours a day I could cost households around 2.38 million wones per monthalmost half of the average monthly income of Korean households. This generated many doubts about the affordability of the program for average Korean families. “We are seeing complaints about the cost burden of foreign domestic employees,” You Hye-Mi saidmain secretary of the president, in an interview. “Therefore, we are trying to explore ways to mitigate the burden it supposes for an individual home to hire them.” The controversy of the minimum wage. In addition, the program also faced criticism from work activists and immigrant rights groups. It happened in 2023, when the mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-Hoon, proposed to hire foreign nanny to A monthly cost of approximately 1 million woneswhich is significantly lower than the minimum wage in South Korea. Not just that. Deputy Cho Jung-Hun also proposed a bill that would exclude immigrant domestic employees from the requirement of the minimum wage law, arguing that the salaries of these workers should be in line with those of their countries of origin, a proposal highly criticized by human rights organizations, which argue that it violates the rights of foreign workers and violates the norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO). And birth rate? As we said at the beginning, the introduction of foreign nannies is part of a broader government effort to boost female participation in the workforce, which is considered essential to improve the country’s birth rate. The number of households with double income in South Korea has increased constantly, reaching 5.82 million in 2021. The problem is that many women end up abandoning the workforce due to the responsibilities of child care. Therefore, by offering more affordable child care options, the government expects to create a more conducive environment for young couples to have children, thus addressing, in theory, the worrying birth rate in descent. A version of this article is PUblicó in 2024 Image | Pexels, Pexels In Xataka | South Korea has taken the rivalry in the classrooms to the extreme: 84% of its children go to academies to be even more competitive In Xataka | Seoul lives an unprecedented birth crisis. The idea of its mayor: set up a municipal dating program

Japan thought he had touched back on his birth crisis. I didn’t know how wrong it was wrong

August 8, 2025 by usatoday24

He has tried pulling a checkbook And even acting as Celestinabut Japan has encountered a seemingly irresoluble problem: birth. The country has gone from demographic winter to the debacle without palliative. That is at least the reading left by the latest government data, which reveal that in just one year (from January 2024 to January 2025) the population of Japanese citizens has been reduced in More than 900,000 peoplethe biggest fall Since at least 1968. There is only one positive indicator: immigration. A fact: 908,574. Talking about birth in Japan for a long time is to talk about falls, pessimistic forecasts and a future full of unknowns. It is nothing new, but that does not prevent when your government publishes official data, as has happened This Wednesdaythe demographic debacle continues to surprise. And rightly. According to the data of the Ministry of Interior, in 2024 the country lost neither more nor less than 908,574 inhabitants, which leaves the census of Japanese citizens in 120.65 million. Far, far from 126.6 million which it reached in 2009. More than a blow. The data is bad in itself and does not improve when it is put in context. As Remember Kyodo News It is the 16th consecutive year in which the census of Japanese citizens fall, a trend that seems to have no softening visos. On the contrary. The 2024 was the greatest demographic collapse of the statistical series, which starts in 1968. You have to go back to that same decade to find a lower birth record than the one scored last year: 687,689. In the opposite pole, the number of deaths (almost 1.6 million) stood at maximum. A percentage: 59%. Demography is not simple statistical theory, it is directly connected to the country’s economy. And that is something that government data makes it very clear: after years of population debacle and with the Gripada Birth engine, Japan has found that barely 59% of its population It is at work age (between 15 and 64), significantly below the world average, which is around 65%, according to the latest estimates of the OECD. With less and less native population of working age and a society in full aging, the panorama facing the country is the least challenging. In fact there are those who warn that a ‘red line’ is crossing. Some authors point out that 2025 will mark the point at which the population born during The Baby Boom In the late 40s, an age in which the percentage of the working population collapses and increases that of those who require care is exceeded. That turning point even has a name: The “problem 2025”. And what does that suppose? That in practice it is quite likely that from now on Japan will meet “a sudden increase” of elders who need care, which will result in “a significantly greater burden for workforce,” warns An IPEI report. As for what he will mean for public coffers, years ago the government has accounts and already calculated that between 2025 and 2040 the general costs of social care will shoot 60%. How to solve it? The big question. Japan has been deploying a range of measures to encourage their birth and reverse their demographic crisis. And that happens so much to dedicate Millions of resources to programs Pronatality and raising aids as encourage the paternal casualties or ease May young people find a partner. It is nothing new or exclusive to Japan. In South Korea, China either Russia Governments have launched similar campaigns with Disrupt results. In the background, however, a key question underlies, such as I already pointed out in 2023 The BBC chain: Increasing the birth of a country is a matter of money? Do the ‘baby checks’ or the paternal casualties? To what extent do these factors influence and how much depends on more structural ones, such as the difficulties in accessing broad homes, labor philosophy, gender inequalities, the cost of life or simply a cultural change that no longer prioritizes motherhood? A word: immigration. Not all demographic indicators in Japan are in red numbers. Moreover, there is one that grew last year until reaching record values: that of the foreign residentsthose people from other countries with permission to remain in Japan for at least three months. According to government data, your number grew by 10.65% (354,089 people) until adding 3.68 million. The records had never reached such a high figure. In practice that means that foreigners already represent almost 3% of the total population, another figure that had never been achieved before. Japan Times Precise that in 2024 661,800 people were moved from abroad, which shows that the fall experienced by this registry during the pandemic, especially in 2021 and 20022. If there are both Japanese citizens and the foreign population, the total census of residents in the country is taken into account. 124.3 millionapproximately 554,000 less than the previous year. Why is it important? Because the influx of foreigners has served for more than softening the country’s demographic bleeding. It also involves a chute of energy for its economy. 85.77% of foreign residents are of working age, a significant percentage for a country with a birth problem and that has been aging years. The increase in immigration also has certain challenges. Its increase coincides with the rise of the ultra -right party Sanseitowho has campaigned by flying the motto of “The Japanese first.” Image | JJ Ying (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | More and more Japanese women decide to marry men from South Korea. And there is something that explains it: the K-Pop

After years of debacle, South Korea has managed to rebound his birth. Now it’s time to find out how the hell has done it

June 29, 2025 by usatoday24

Demographic statistics is nothing more than that: Demographic Statistics. Pure and hard mathematics, with objective and reading data. For years, however, their chronicles in South Korea transmit a dire air, as of announced death. And it’s normal. The country has seen how its birth rate descended to such low dimensions that in 2024 the country had to declare itself in “demographic emergency” and assume officially that it is a “society Super aging“ Now that seems to be changing little by little, which raises two questions: Has Korea achieved out of the demographic hole in which it has been immersed for years? And if so, how? They are key issues for Seoul, but also for other neighboring countries with birth problems, such as China either Japan. What happened? That against all forecast, South Korea Start to get used to to their demographic statistics arrive accompanied by positive signs. That does not mean that they are good at all, the country has managed to stop its demographic bleeding or its fertility rate stands above “Replacement level”; But they are favorable news after all. And that did not happen for a long time. A figure: 20,717. The latest data published by Statistics Korea show that in April they were born in the country 20,717 babies8.7% more than 19,059 counted during the same month of 2024. The data is interesting because it leaves several positive readings. The first is that three years ago the number of monthly lights remained below the 20,000 barrier. The second is that this 8.7% growth shows the highest year -on -year increase in the last three and a half decades. You have to go back to 1991 to find another similar percentage. More babies, more weddings. There are not only more babies. There are also more couples giving the ‘yes I want’. The data Statistics Korea show that in April 18,921 marriages in the country were formalized, which leaves an interannual increase of 4.9%. The data invites optimism for another reason: it is the thirteenth consecutive month in which this indicator is green. It may seem a minor issue, but in the South Korean society couple and birth They go hand in. There are studies that calculate that less than 5% From babies they are born out of marriage. Coincidence or trend? That is the question that surveys the birth data of Korea. Especially since the last years have been marked by the shadow of the pandemic, which modes to take many couples to postpone their wedding plans or even the decision to become parents. In his favor the country has to They are not the first in positive. Seoul already said goodbye to 2024 with a positive birth rate (the number of births 3.6% increased), something that had not happened for a decade. Looking for the causes. At this point, the question is obvious: beyond the influence of the pandemic, is there any factor that explains the rebound in birth in the country? The question is interesting for South Korea, but also for other nations that have been dealing with demographic challenges, such as Japan, China, Russia or many European nations, including Spainwhich in recent years has gained population thanks basically to foreigners. “The increase in births seems to be influenced by the increase in marriages since last year, the growth of the population of women between 30 and 39 years and various birth promotion policies by central and local governments,” Clarify Statistics Korea to the Yonhap News agency. In summary, after the birth rebound in Korea there would be three major factors: more weddings, the effect of the ‘Probebé’ policies and that in the country there are more women in the first section of the thirties. A concept: echo boombe. At least part of the demographic change would therefore be explained thanks to demography itself. And the key is in a certain group of the cohort of the echo boomers. The Guardian remember That the population born between 1991 and 1995 begins to reach the “ideal” age to marry and have children and that group has grown sensitively. If in 2020 there were about 1.51 million women between 30 and 34 years old, now there are already 1.65 million. To its possible effect, the wide range of policies that for years have deployed the South Korean authorities (both regional and state) to encourage the formation of couples and birth rate are added. And that includes from the delivery of generous ‘Baby checks’ to the application of Fiscal incentives, parental permitsinitiatives for Improve food of mothers or even appointment programs (with prize included) to form new couples. Well but not perfect. The latest data from Statistics Korea are good, but they are far from being perfect and of course they do not allow South Korea to launch the bells on the flight. On the contrary. Although birth is emerging, the country’s fertility rate remains at 0.79far from the replacement level that the country needs to keep its population stable without depending on immigration. In addition, although the number of births with respect to 2024 has increased, they remain clearly insufficient to stop the fall of the national census. The reason? Babies are born, but in the increasingly aging Korean society there are also more deaths. The deaths grew 0.8% year -on -year in April until adding 28,785. Images | Nathan Q (UNSPLASH) and Tommao Wang (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Throughout Europe, birth rate collapses as soon as women begin to earn more money. Except in Sweden

In full birth crisis, the ice cream industry has found a new reef in Spain: dogs

June 12, 2025 by usatoday24

No, it’s not yours. For a long time in the parks of Spain (and in the streets, squares, shopping centers and thus a long etcetera of places) it is easier to find pets than with babies. Some calculations They point out that in our country there are already six companion animals for each child under four years. Hence the sector dedicated to your care be growing and tante new business roads, such as Cruises canines or the elaboration of ice cream and “Cafes” Suitable for dogs. In Barcelona there are already a few examples. Pet ice cream? That’s how it is. And we don’t talk about ice cream for pets suitable for pets, but ice cream specifically elaborated For dogs and cats, thinking about the foods that tolerate and advertise as such. One of the most recent examples leaves it Zampa Gelatothat He just launched In Barcelona Tarrinas that are announced with A slogan that leaves a few doubts about his approach: “The ice cream one hundred percent natural that makes your pet happy and veterinarian.” In its catalog it includes watermelon options and red fruits, apple, pear and kiwi or coconut, pineapple and banana, elaborate ice cream, says, based on pasteurized yogurt without lactose without lactose, lyophilized and mineral fruits. “It is not another product within a range, it is our specialization. Zampa Gelato focuses exclusively on developing healthy pets for pets,” They claim From the firm. Is it an isolated case? Not at all. The pet ice cream market is perhaps still far from the centered in humans, but there are more examples. Bibì e Bibò ice cream shops, with a presence in Madrid, have created a Special line “100% suitable for dogs” that elaborates, among other ingredientswith several fruits, ill -free yogurt without lactose and dispensing with added sugars. The newspaper of Catalonia Precise also that one of the partners who has embarked on the launch of Zampa in Barcelona is in turn part of the team behind Il Gelato Dell´amorea “Mixed ice cream shop” which boasts of having ice cream for both humans and their four -legged companions. They are just a couple of examples, but there is more. Now A couple years Barcelona’s Badiani ice cream shop also elaborated a GELATO For dogs. They called him Dog Gelato and in 2023 the magazine Elle I presented it as a sweet refreshing with 96.65% less lactose than the rest of its ice cream and basically made with whipped cream, egg yolk, plant fibers, water, fructose and whole milk and low dust in lactose. In 2024, to give him More visibilityBadiani launched a campaign that offered customers a portrait with their pets. But … why? Basically because there are interested owners and especially willing to pay for those services. “Given the growth and demand of premises Pet-Friendly We did a small market study, “said Nebot recently to The newspaper. “The acceptance by the clients was fulminant. The idea is to go out for something with your pet and that is not under the table sucking an ice or waiting for the last piece of cookie of your ice cream.” As a reference last year Il Gelato Dell´amore sold More than a thousand tarrines Canines in August. Are there only ice cream? No. ice cream are just one more example (perhaps the most summery) of the growing range of pet products and services. The list is wide and includes articles that we so far believed exclusive for humans, such as “coffees”, “cocktails”, “snacks” or even “champagne benjamines”. All this with proper quotes because these are products designed for dogs that play with recognizable formats in the market for their owners. The Ciudad Ciudad has just left another good example. Not long ago opened its doors there Voilà Concept Storean exclusive cafeteria for dogs and that includes in its letter “dogguccinos”, “dogtails”, meat lollipops, donuts (“Woof-Waffle”) or empanadillas and special cakes. The canine capuchino is made, for example, with cream without lactose and puppy milk and TOPPINGS They are used are pork, chicken or fish. In the establishment there are also pet accessories. What shows us? Beyond the concrete articles or businesses, the previous examples tell us about two clear trends: the changes of a society in which it is increasingly common to meet pets than with children and the business that is promoting. In February The country did A poll Between veterinarians and it came out that at the end of 2024 in Spain there were 1.6 million cats and 9.3 million dogs. A sum that far exceeds eight million minors. The first two are data that must be handled with some caution, but still give an idea of the growing weight that pets have in the country’s homes. And it’s not something that happens Only in Spain. With that backdrop in recent years they have launched Nursery, Spas, hairdressers, Hotels And even Cruises For dogs. That impulse explains that in 2017 the pet care sector invoices in the EU 36.5 billion of euros, with clear forecasts Growth. Images | Callum Blacoe (UNSPLASH) and Christian Bowen (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | The broken bones of a dog from 16,000 years ago tell an important story: it was already our pet

Japan has been a test laboratory for years to encourage birth. And he doesn’t have good news for the world

June 5, 2025 by usatoday24

Neither The aid. Nor the facilities for access education. Nor the improvement of working conditions. Not even attempts for Exercise “Casélro” and create new couples. The repeated attempts of the Japanese authorities to reactivate their Merm Birth They are clicking on bone and have not prevented the country from closing 2024 with a bleak demographic panorama. Its fertility rate is minimal, births have fallen below the barrier of 700,000 per year and the number of deaths far exceeds the babies. Thus, the country faces a question that They have been Considering analysts: what can a government really do to encourage birth? Can you avoid collapse by looking for everything to the measures of Economic cut? Birth. 2024 has not been a good year for Japanese demography. His Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Welfare has just confirmed it in A balance Desorator and confirms that, despite all its efforts, the country has not yet found the appropriate key to avoid collapse. Among all their data there are two special worrying and that give an idea of the descending drift that is drawing its birth: the fertility rate and births. Last year the global fertility rate (the number of children that a woman would have if she lived until the end of her fertile life) It stood at 1.15. A bad result twice. Not only is it 0.05 points less than in 2023, but it leaves that indicator in historical minimums. This is the lowest recorded data From at least 1947which further away to Japan from the one known as Replacement ratethe necessary number of children (2,1) to maintain a stable population without taking into account immigration. In Tokyo that indicator It does not arrive Even 1. A fact: 686,000 babies (and down). The other devastating fact for Japanese demography is that of the number of births. In 2024 the Japanese Ministry of Health accounted for 686,000, 5.7% less that in 2023. It is the first time in addition (at least since 1899, when the official registration began) that the number of annual lighting was below the 700,000 barrier. The Japanese authorities already had the birth would cross that psychological red line, but they expected it to do so within several years. The forecasts of the National Institute for Research of the Population contemplated that 2024 be closed with some 755,000 new babies And that the births would not fall below the barrier of 690,000 to a decade and a half, in 2039. The predictions were pessimistic, but they have fallen short: that threshold crossed 15 years earlier than expected. ASAHI remember In fact, the 2024 data has coincided with the worst projection drawn by the body. Losing population. The data of the Ministry of Health show only the photograph of the native population resident in the country, excluding both foreigners born in Japan and Japanese born outside their borders; but reveals a serious problem in the demographic engine of the nation. The reason is simple: more Japanese die than they are born. The 686,061 babies scored in 2024 remain away from the 1.6 million of deaths (1.9% more than in 2023). That translates into a negative balance of 919,237 people, around 70,000 people more than the previous year. To understand what this data supposes in practice, Nikei Slide that equivalent more or less to lose all Kagawa in a matter of 12 years. That hole also adds to those that Japan has been suffering over the last years. After all, it carries almost two decades supporting more death than births, which is reflected in Evolution of its total population. A small ray of light: marriages. Among all these negative data the balance of the Ministry of Health leaves one in positive: the number of marriages. The organism registered 486,0632.2% more than in 2023. They remain at low levels and below half a million, but leave the first increase in two years. And that is very relevant to birth. Although in Spain and other EU countries it is increasingly common That couples have babies without going through the altar, in Japanese society births outside marriage or de facto couples are still rare: Nikei remember which in 2023 represented 2.5% of the total. A matter of state. Japan is not the only nation that dealt with birth problems. Something similar happens to South and China. And like them the Japanese authorities have deployed A wide fan of measures to try to reverse the trend that include from children’s subsidies or measures that facilitate education for initiatives to Promote creation of new couples. “Focusing children related to children and parenting is something that cannot expect or postpone,” warned two years ago! Fumio KishidaJapan’s Prime Minister until last October. The problem worries enough to Tokyo for its executive It would be proposed Raise public aid by son to levels similar to those of Sweden and thus avoid that the nation lost “its ability to operate as a society.” That same year the government announced An ambitious plan to encourage birth to deploying a millmillionaire investment. Can you solve with money? That is the question that leaves the last demographic balance of Japan and that have been raising analysts for a long time, both inside and outside the nation. Are economic -economic policies enough to encourage birth? There are those who indicate that at least these strategies must be accompanied by deeper changes and even A rethinking of certain ideas and attitudes rooted in their culture. In 2023 Tomas Sobotka, deputy director of the Institute of Demography of Vienna, He pointed out some keys that feed the demographic crisis and that go beyond subsidies or married policies. The list includes the delay in the age of motherhood, cultural and social changes that lead to young people choose to remain single and without children, a change in the homes themselves, the greatest presence of women in the labor market and a philosophy of life that prioritizes professional ambitions and leaves little time available for parenting. … Read more

Japan has been seeing how its birth collapse little by little. Now faces the result: the “problem 2025”

May 28, 2025 by usatoday24

Japan has a great great Population challenge ahead, a demographic watchmaking pump fed by a birth rate that He has won to place in historical minimumsincreased life expectancy and a weight increasing of the elderly population. That is no novelty. However, however, Japanese economists and politicians look with increasing concern A key datethe turning point from which this aging will begin to take its toll to the country. And it has already arrived. The “problem 2025”. Although there is still much 2025 ahead and it is soon to know if Japanese birth will continue The descending curve of The last decadeDemographers have long suspected that this will not be an easy year. And the reason does not reside so much in fertility and mortality rates as in what it represents. 2025 will mark the point where the Japanese born during the Baby Boom of the late 40 (1947-1949) will exceed 75 years. And that means a real challenge for several reasons. In fact, in the country they have been talking about “Problem 2025”. More than a symbol. Japan It is not the only nation that deal with the winds of demographic winter, although there they blow with more force than usual and the problem is faced from a particular perspective. From the outset, the Japanese do not perceive the elderly as most countries. For them, the usual thing is that people who have turned 65 “Genki” categorythat of healthy and active people. As I remembered The Economist A few months agomore than 50% of people between 65 and 69 years and more than a third of those of 70 to 74 are still working. Moreover, in the population group between 65 and 74, only 3% of the Japanese require nursing care. His life is so active that the country’s gerontological association has even proposed to include that cohort in a new category, that of the “pre-estatants.” The thing changes after 75. Crusade that barrier only work 12% of the Japanese and the percentages of the population that require care. They are the “advanced elders”, the horizon that the millions of Japanese are now born during the Baby Boom of the late 40s. And with them the whole of Japanese society does. Why is it a problem? Because, like They have not been warning for some time Experts, that demographic turn will submit the pension system and medical care in Japan to greater pressure. And it will also do it in an aged country, accustomed to seeing how every year it is achieved A new historical minimum of birth rate and in which the population of working age It has been descending evident since the beginning of the century. The result is what experts such as Takado Komine, of the Institute for International Policy Studies (IEPI), has called The “problem 2025”, a crisis with multiple edges and derivatives that affect society and economy. “A sudden increase”. In A recent analysis On the phenomenon, Europa Press cites some of the fronts on which the “problem 2025” will let yourself feel. The first, he remembers citing an IPEI report, will probably be geriatric care services. The organism Consider which is “almost certain” that as of this year doctors and nurses will deal with “a sudden increase” of people who need care, which will result in “a significantly greater burden for workforce.” And what will be the result? A foreseeable personnel and greater pressure deficit on social coverage systems. In 2018, the government has already made accounts and concluded that between 2025 and 2040 the general social security costs, including pensions, will shoot almost 60%. Everything while The weight of the population Over 65 years old does not stop increasing in the country. The report also indicates the challenge that will be for large urban areas, where a greater volume of elderly people is concentrated. The Government has already launched to solve the problem, but the challenge is considerable and is accompanied by threats, such as giving rise to an inequality crisis among older people. How serious is the problem? It arrives with review some figures to understand it. Last year they were born in Japan 721,000 babiesthe lowest data since the country collects statistics. Only in 1949 (in full baby boom) it is estimated that they were born 2.69 million babiesthe same ones that will now cross the 75 -year border. According to Precise The Economistthe population that exceeds that age is expected to rub the 22 million. A decade ago they were just 17. Image | Woody Yan (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | The Japanese demography debacle, illustrated in a graphic that speaks for itself

In full birth crisis, in the US there is a movement that aspires to turn its demography: pronatalism

April 6, 2025 by usatoday24

“I want more babies in the United States.” The phrase It’s JD Vance and matters especially for two reasons. The first, because although the Republican had shown before His obsession with birth rates, that specific comment released it in January, during His first public speech as vice president of the country. The second reason is that when Vance pronounced it, he did more than give his personal opinion: he connected with a movement that, although not new, seems to be gaining weight (and visibility) in Trump’s US: Pronatalism. And Vance is not the only media figure (not even in the Trump administration) in tune in with a speech that goes beyond the US and It arrives in Spain. What is pronatalism? Roughly, Pronatalism It is an ideology that advocates Increased birth rate of a country. This is defined by the Cambridge Dictionarywhich affects that its basic objective is to increase the population without having to rely on the arrival of immigrants. That, of course, is the definition with thick stroke. If we go down to detail, many more nuances and a mixture of ideologies that do not always coincide in the background or forms are appreciated. “It can be motivated by cultural, religious, geopolitical or economic imperatives,” comments on The conversation Céline Delacroix, professor at the University of Ottawa, adds: its policies “can manifest in various ways, covering from soft measures, such as stigmatizing those who decide not to have children, other hard, including restricting access to contraceptives.” An objective, several reasons While the pronatalist goal is clear, the argument that accompanies it (and justifies) is not always so much. Under his broad and diffuse umbrella conservatives are grouped with religious motivations that see a social pillar in the family, but also more coincident with Musk. In his case the key is not so much religious as the Fear of demographic collapse and its consequences at a social and economic level. The option to open the doors to migration It would be discarded For them for their fear that It ends up weakening The culture of the country that receives it. Perhaps the best known example of that last profile is the marriage formed by Simone and Malcolm Collinsthe drivers of the organization Pronatalist. Although neither of them arrives at 40, the couple already expects His fifth child and aspires to have at least two more. However, the most striking of their case is not the figures, but it is the ideology that has led them to embrace pronatalism. The Collins They are defined as Tecnopuritanosatheists, anti racist, defenders of LGBTQ+ rights and its vision of pronatalism contemplates the use of in vitro fertilization or genetic selection. Moreover, they themselves They have resorted to both, including the Preimplantational genetic test (PGT) to rule out embryos at risk of cancer or “mental health problems” for which there is no quality treatment. “” We obviously analyze the intellectual coefficient, “they add. Is it something new? No. Natalism or pronatalism exists For several decadesbut in the US it has gained remarkable visibility for several reasons, beyond the expectation that can awaken cases such as collins marriage. One of those reasons, fundamental to understanding its boom, is the Birth decline of the US. The other is the notoriety of certain figures in tune with the main objective of the natives: encourage the birth rate of the country. Vance is one of them. Another is Musk, who has At least 11 offspring and In 2022 came to tweet that “the collapse of the birth rate is, by far, The greatest threat that faces civilization. “Donald Trump himself He has recognized openly that he wants to boost a new “baby boom” in the US. The most revealing movement however has made another high position of Washington, the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy. Father of nine children, Duffy has gone from rhetoric to the facts when signing A memo which prioritizes projects aimed at communities with high marriage and birth rates. There are those He has interpreted it as a clear example of “pronatalist policy.” The decision of the Transport Department is interesting because, no matter how much Trump pursues a new baby boom or vance you share your desire to see more American babies, there is an issue that is still pending: How to achieve it? After all, the US is not the first country that intends to increase its birth rate and many others, such as Japan, China either South KoreaThey have proven how complicated it results. The jump from theory to facts is also relevant to the natives because it transparent their internal tensions and differences. The magazine The Atlantic reflects it well in An article entitled “The loneliness of the conservative pronatalist”. To encourage birth, there are conservative cutting formulas, such as promoting family values; But also other liberals, such as granting more subsidies to parents or betting on housing promotion policies, a solution that clashes a priori with the efforts of Donald Trump (and Musk) to achieve On the contrary: put the scissors in the administration. Another friction point is what the Collins represent: the use of in vitro fertilization and other practices that arouse misgivings among anti -abortion. The connection with Europe (and Spain) Pronatalism has supporters, but also detractors. And there are a few reasons that explain it. Although people like Collins try to mark distances with racism, even It is not so much The most active pronatals in the US were the white nationalists concerned that other communities surpass them in number. His recent boom is also closely linked to the speeches of figures on the right, such as Elon Musk or JD Vance, who pronounced his famous “I want more babies” during the Life marchan act against abortion. The result is that extreme right formations have capitalized the speech pronatalist as a reaction to feminism and the defense of sexual autonomy that It has been dominating for years In the public sphere. Also to immigration. Spain leaves … Read more

Spain lives a brutal birth crisis. And that is causing mothers above 40 years to grow more than ever

February 21, 2025 by usatoday24

In Spain they are born every time Less children. And increasingly. The balance That the INE has just published with the first global photography of birth and mortality in Spain throughout 2024 leaves some surprises but above all confirm the trends that have been marking the demography of the country for years. And one of the clearest is the gradual delay of motherhood: more and more women have children turned 40 or even with 50. And there is a fact that clearly reflects it: 10.4%. A (small) joy. They are still provisional data, so the photo that leaves The last report of the INE could vary over the coming months. However, waiting for the definitive balance, Spain seems to have closed 2024 with a (small) demographic joy. His birthday has rebounded. In a shy and that has not served to compensate for the number of deaths and thus avoid a vegetative balance in Red numbersbut at least allows you to cut the negative trend of the last decade. A percentage: 0.4%. That is the birth increase registered by the INE in 2024: 0.4%which translates into 1,378 births rather than in 2023. Throughout the last year they came to the world in Spain 322,034 babies, almost 1,400 more than during the previous 12 months. The data leaves a positive reading and another that is not so much, depending on how much we amounts to the temporal focus when analyzing it. The first is that it represents the first birth rise since 2014, when the balance touched the 427,600 babies. However, despite that climb, the Spanish demographic engine does not have today Nothing to do With the years of the Baby Boomthere for 50, 60 and mid -70s, when they were born in the country between 650,000 and 660,000 babies a year. The INE reflects for example that in 1975 they were noted almost 669,400so since then the collapse has been 52%. And a figure: 33,570. The balance of the INE helps to understand another of the key factors of Spanish demography: maternity. And when analyzing one of Trends clearer is its progressive delay. More and more Spanish have children with 40 or more years, to the point that in 2024 that profile was behind 33,570 births. What does that mean? That one out of ten Babies born in Spain (10.4%) already do it from women who exceed thirty. In 2014 that percentage was significantly lower, of 7.2%. Year Births of women 40 or more years Middle Ages to Maternity 2000 10,163 30.72 2004 15.017 30.87 2008 22,026 30.83 2012 28,289 31.56 2016 34,452 32.0 2020 34,858 32.3 2024 33,570 32.6 (data of 2023) Looking back. In 2014 the INE scored 30,946 births of women of 40 or more years, so that the increase has been 8.5% in a decade. During the same period the number of babies born of mothers under 25 years fell 21.9% and the births of women between 25 and 39, the one with the greatest weight, retreated 27.9%. If you look further back the trend is even clearer. In 2000 the INE counted in Spain 397,632 birthsof which 10,163 were related to women who had already arrived or exceeded quarantine. That is, at that time its weight was only 2.5% of the total and the number of lighting has shot 230% since then. In 2004, women of 40 or more years starred 15,017 birthswith what your number has doubled. The other indicator: Middle Ages. There is another clue that helps to understand how they are quickly changing motherhood in Spain: its Middle Agesan indicator that has practically not stopped growing over the last decades. If in 1976 it was located in 28.51in 2000 it was already 30.72, in 2010 it climbed at 31.2 and in 2023 it was 32.6 years. That is, the average has increased more than four years since the 70s. In the EU, a gradual increase of the age at which women have their first offspring. What are the causes? The big question. The increase in what the INE calls “Middle Ages to Maternity” And the number of women who give birth to the 40 years coincides with other phenomena that directly affect women, as the Professor of Human Geography Rafael Puyol recently pointed out in An article dedicated to the Spanish demographic crisis. The expert specified in particular the educational revolution and the incorporation and women into the labor market, in addition to cultural changes and the family model. Images | Jessica Pankratz (Flickr) and INE In Xataka | Spain has turned paternity into a poverty risk factor: raising a child costs 758 euros per month

Judge hears lawsuit over Trump’s order to cancel birthright citizenship

January 23, 2025 by usatoday24

A federal judge in Seattle will hear first arguments Thursday in a lawsuit filed by several states seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of parents’ immigration status. Federal Judge John Coughenour scheduled the session to consider the request from Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington. The case is one of five lawsuits brought by 22 states and several immigrant advocacy groups across the country. The lawsuits include personal testimony from prosecutors who are U.S. citizens by birthright, and names of pregnant women who fear their children will not become U.S. citizens. The order signed by Trump on the day of his inauguration is scheduled to go into effect on February 19. It could affect thousands of people born in the country, according to one of the lawsuits. In 2022, there were approximately 255,000 births of citizen children to mothers living in the country illegally and approximately 153,000 births to both parents in such a situation, according to the lawsuit filed by the four states in Seattle. The United States is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship, the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil,” applies. Most are in the American Continent, including Canada and Mexico. The lawsuits argue that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizenship to people born and naturalized in the country and states have interpreted the amendment that way for a century. Ratified in 1868 after the Civil War, the amendment reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State in which they reside.” Trump’s order affirms that children of non-Americans are not subject to US jurisdiction and directs federal agencies not to recognize citizenship for children who do not have at least one parent who is a citizen. A key case on the issue unfolded in 1898. The Supreme Court held that Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants, was a U.S. citizen because he was born in the country. After a trip abroad, he faced denial of reentry by the federal government on the grounds that he was not a citizen under the Chinese Exclusion Act. But some advocates of immigration restrictions have argued that that case clearly applied to children born to parents who were both legal immigrants. They say it is less clear whether it applies to children born to parents who do not have a residence permit. Trump’s executive order prompted attorneys general to share their personal connections to birthright citizenship. For example, Connecticut state Attorney General William Tong, a birthright U.S. citizen and the nation’s first elected Chinese American attorney general, said the lawsuit was personal to him. “There is no legitimate legal debate on this issue. But the fact that Trump is completely wrong will not stop him from causing serious harm right now to American families like mine,” Tong said this week. One of the lawsuits includes the case of a pregnant woman, identified as “Carmen,” who is not a citizen, but has lived in the United States for more than 15 years and has a pending visa application that could give her permanent residency status. “Depriving children of the ‘priceless treasure’ of citizenship is a serious injury,” the lawsuit says. “It denies them the full membership in American society to which they are entitled.”

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