Japan’s Aging Crisis - The Solutions
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ม.ค. 2021
- With such a declining birthrate and an aging population, Japan will be in crisis soon. But are there any solutions for that? Does Japan really have no hope for the future? [Please turn on CC for English subtitles.]
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This channel covers important social issues and trends in Japan.
I interview a lot of Japanese and foreigners related to the subject, and hopefully you can see a variety of perspectives.
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So saying "shoganai" is like saying "it is what it is"
itis whatitis
Yeah, or more like “so what? It’s not really a concern”.
Pretty much, like fuck it here (when we don't want to put more effort).
If you go by normal English you could also translate it as “it’s what it’s”
More like "forgeddaboutit"!
“I’ve never heard of anyone dying from programming.” Bless her
you haven't seen the rage i experience
Yeah... Blizzard doesn’t want disclose how many bodies were buried under its games.
@@pumpkingamebox Are you referring to people who play games or who program them??
@@jamesjiao Code and design. Those guys must be overworked with how much Todd always asks of them.
Kind of a retarded solution that he presented just going to keep it real. Basically he's trying to solve the issue of japans abysmal birth rate by suggesting they find jobs for 80 year olds that have probably been working their whole life? What happened to getting to retire? Also eventually people do get sick and need care, who's going to provide that? All his solution does is ignore the issue at hand and prolong the suffering of the elderly by denying them the right to retire. His solution would actually make the problem worse. Talk about doubling down on stupid shit eh?
Nobita: the best reporter from Japan!
Facts
Also.." Hiroko" from ,"Asian Boss"..she is a very good reporter.
All bcuz of doraemon 😁😂😂
I'm still of the mind that no matter what Japan does, if they don't discontinue that over work culture that nothing will help except extreme measures. Health children need a mom and dad in the house being an active parent, to make those children then mom and dad need some stress free time. I'm sure you can see the pattern
Yes, corporate culture is the biggest obstacle. It's basically a contest to see who can suffer more without going mad.
While this is borderline inhuman, on the scale of world business, if Japan stops being productive enough, they will sink in the market, mostly against China. Sadly this is just one of the many points why it's happening, this is not only because of culture. I really hope some balance can be found ASAP.
@@-Tengen All developed nations are on a similar demographic path as Japan and they also share similar future. Modern consumerist society turned pretty much everything into rat race, people are chasing these manufactured dreams instead of finding meaning of life by enjoying the pleasure of building human connections...
@@veduci22 nothing wrong with pursuing ones happiness, just dont put unnecessary obstacles in the way. Balance is how everything works.
@@veduci22 I’d like to add, as i have in a few other comment threads, that other developed nations aren’t suffering as badly with their declining birth rates, largely because they don’t have a 98% native population ethno-state and one of the most restrictive immigration policies in the world like japan does. Even if they do let you in permanently, they’re all or nothing about it. They’ve only granted one dual citizenship, ever. If I want to live here permanently, I’d have to renounce my US citizenship
Shirley Curry a.k.a. Skyrim Grandma is in her mid 80's and an amazing streamer. I hope this idea of older folks trying new ideas gains momentum!
Heh heh. My mom is in her 50's and I learned her Elder Scrolls Online guild are all 18+ but most of them are retired. So yeah.
@@person7600 Nah. But you can not watch his channel and go be a puritan.
@@Mionikoi, hahaha! Good roast
Props to the grandma for gaming... Don't give a damn about the stereotype that only youngsters play games and sh!t..
I genuinely believe that replacing every Japanese citizen with a sentient robot is more plausible.
The Japanese nurse's English is good, beautiful personality as well.
I don't think so. I got my appendix removed in japan last month and they felt very nervous when they heard a foreigner stayed in the hospital. Though the doctor's English was good.
She sounds a bit Australian, tbh.
@maltese 0217 Maybe she know that a lot of Nobita subcribers are English-speaker, so she use English.
Her English is perfect. She annunciates every syllable. 🤣🤣
Her English is remarkably well, for someone from Japan. It's very hard to find people with decent English like that, in those countries. These countries' schooling systems often don't teach English at all, or teach it very poorly.
Dude when I heard an 80+ woman say that older people need to be more "productive members of society" I'll admit my heard sank a little. It breaks my heart seeing 60, 70,and even my 80 year olds still working hard to survive due to retirement not being a thing for some of us westerners. I'm glad that what they meant was them being more active in what they want to do and engaging more with technology. Good on them! They have worked enough.
I think the very concept of retirement is just not sustainable when combined with modern medicine that greatly increases our life expectancy.
I like the idea of semi-retirement where you still work on things you enjoy and are still productive. Permanent vacation gets boring anyways.
Yup... basically, in an increasingly aging world, retirement is pretty much going to be a pushed way forward if not completely eliminated for lower-class people. Those who do not set up an IRA at 20 and put in money every year, are gonna have some bad times when they're 60 and onward.
@@alexvig2369 The thing is, if there aren't enough people working, employers will be forced to raise wages to find anyone to work, which means the rise of prices, which means those retirement funds are going to be eaten up by inflation. The best provision for old age is having children working for you. If you don't have them, you're either gonna have to work till death or starve.
Funnily, that has been the standard for all of human history. The only new thing is people believing they can't afford children despite having the highest standard of life in history.
@@Nethan2000 You're off on that one by a mile. Of course old societies can continue to thrive. In societies like Japan, where people have disposable income, people can just save and invest to have a retirement. People no longer need to depend on children exclusively, for that.
And there is nothing wrong with rising wages. That's just corporate propaganda for us in the west to keep importing uneducated immigrants.
Well, discussion on the aging problem aside, this woman is a beast, she in incredible, the fact she wanna do all these things to help her country, the fact she is aware of many social problems. Her grandchildren gotta be really proud of her
Why does Nobita look spooked whenever he's about to interview someone. Always cracks me up lol. Great content as usual.
Unknown you mean "nobita listening face?" Me and my husband often do that to each other to crack each other up 🤣
I was waiting for this vlog to be uploaded. Thank you for featuring me in this video. Brilliantly done! Very informative. Big thumbs up, Nobita.
Proud Filipino Caregiver here in Japan.
great work you do! too bad about the language barrier
Always irks me when people say there is a shortage of care workers, yet a lot of the jobs have low pay. Basic supply and demand dictates that when you have a shortage of something, the price goes up. If they really needed workers, they would pay more! If the turnover is high, they have to find a way to retain people, not whine about a problem they have no intention of solving.
@God Slayer If you think that phenomenon is only widespread in Japan, I have a bridge to sell you.
@God Slayer What? I doubt Nobita thinks that. No idea what you're getting at. BTW, my ire wasn't directed at Nobita, he acknowledges the low pay problem.
This person doesnt understand economics
I'm from the Philippines and mother worked as a caregiver in Japan. Japan takes a lot of caregivers from the Philippines but the hardest part is the language. Understandably, you'd need to be able to read prescription medication, among other things. Making a mistake could mean life or death for your patients.
I feel like the top 2 reasons people dont want to go and live in japan is because of its workaholic society and difficult language.
@@UniqueliAnimationsSN And racism.
@@albertzinger7132 absolutely. people gloss over this thing like Japan's racism is justified. but they crucify other nations for it.
@xxx yyy "They want to do the things in their own way" is a terrible justification for people who do something bad.
Japan wants foreigners in their best working condition to uproot their life, come there, work and pay taxes; and yet, Japan doesn't want outsiders to, you know, actually live there and become part of society, to become a burden in their older years, so in 5 years tops they'll be kicked out of the country. I think that's a pretty good example of institutionalized racism.
Want another one? Koreans living in Japan for generations have a status of second class citizens. Think about it - people born in Japan, their parents born in Japan, whose grandparents came to Japan when Korea was occupied by Japanese Empire, are still not considered Japanese, or at least as good as Japanese.
@xxx yyy "Hey, Korean guy, your parents were Korean, but you were born and raised in Japan, you only speak Japanese, Korea is but a place on the map for you. You are bullied in school for your name, discriminated against in college, will never get a high position in a workplace? Oh, you think it's not your fault that you were born with a Korean name? Well, tough luck, Japan doesn't have to change its racist ways, it's YOU who are in the wrong, and if you don't like it, leave, nobody wants you here".
That's what you imply. Your position might have been applicable to the people looking to immigrate to Japan, but i was specifically talking about a group that's been living in Japan for generations and still being discriminated against.
Once upon a time, work culture is the main weapon for progress of Japan.
Now it will be the main reason for why Japan crisis happens change education and work environment system my advice.
I'm not sure if you will get this but;
During the past, Japan advanced so much that they can't advance since they are living from the past success...
They should atleast change as the world revolves....
@@haruhiroketsumi2944 what japanese youth think's about this problem
At the other end of the age scale is the issue of the low birth rate. It can be argued that one cause is the working-hours culture. Returning home exhausted, if not drunk, night after night is not conducive to baby-making! Not to mention the barrier it represents to female career progression. To add insult to injury, constantly working long hours is notoriously unproductive. One of Nobita’s informative videos on this subject would be enlightening.
I live in Canada. Most of my friends are not having kids. Me included. It is not financially worth it. So Japan should make it easy for couples to have kids. Child care costs are a huge issue in Canada. Canada only maintains its population because of immigration. Schooling, child care, maternity leave and maybe even substatues for people to have children.
Getting a limited government is always the key for this. Women work so much because of high taxes.
Lower taxes makes it possible for mothers to be mothers.
When I lived in BaşSSR and USSR, if you was member of some professional union vouchers to any resort establishments, such as camps or boarding houses, cost 10% of their cost. In addition, the salary at that time allowed you to support not only yourself, but also the children, due to the free or low cost of many services. Back then, only food was worth a lot. There was no need to pay for housing, but to stand in queue for it for 10-15 years. Also, in the Soviet cities, and between them, public transport was developed, there was no need for personal transport as such. For me it was strange, that USA haven't got developed public transport in all cities. In USA I was in 1989 for 1200 soviet rubles. The only thing that was expensive from transport - air transport. For example, if a worker's salary was 100 soviet rubles, then a plane ticket from Farg'ona to Өfө (from Ferghana to Ufa) cost 32 soviet rubles per adult. And if it was a plane flying from Vladivostok to Moscow, then the cost could exceed 50 rubles.
@@WomenofHighValue
limited government just means more corporate control, you don't see a country run by its government like China outsourcing labor because they literally won't allow corporations to destroy China, they will even kill billionaires who steal. I'd love a real country like that
We should restructure the economy. The idea of endless growth or economy, population and consumption is recipe for self-destruction!
@@cottoncandykawaii2673 You may be surprised to hear this but I’m not a big fan of complete state control of all the information I get and a personality cult.
My mom is 69 and teaches all of her friends how to use smartphones and tablets properly because she also is of the belief that you are never too old to learn something new.
She knows how to google problems and I'm rarely asked to help her with any device unless it's actually broken because I'm an electrician specialised in those kinds of things.
On the other hand my in laws are both in their 50s and always tell us they are too old for everything.
It's really more about attitude than age and everyone can learn they just need someone or something to teach them.
Feels like Japan’s elderly have high energy 🙏
Ironically, for some people work actually keeps them _alive._ I remember hearing a story about a man who worked at the same bus terminal for 76 years, deciding to finally retire at age 100 - but then died less than a month later. It sounds crazy, right? But I think certain kinds of work provides a healthy stimulant to keep the mind and body going. Also, there might be some truth to the saying that "boredom kills," at least for people who manage to live for so long.
@@rsuriyop 76 year career is unimaginable to me! I’m a decade into my career and already want to retire... 😂
my japanese grandma (when she was still alive) had all this energy and comedic laughter coming from her. We miss that fun energy.
Nobita's documentary making skills are getting better! The documentary was well paced and very informative and it covered a lot of different perspectives!
Aging population increase is also national security issue. Granted that Japanese people are known for their peace loving/anti-war mindset, but countries outside of Japan can exploit aging population to impose their power easily.
Just give all the elderly people guns, problem solved !
Japanese are anti-war? oh boy....
@@KateeAngel Yes? Imperialist Japan is long gone and the memory of WWII and the consequences of Japan's actions are not a distant memory. Japan is very happy to remain peaceful as allies with the western world. They've seen first hand how it has benefitted them (economic boom).
@@donovanngum7956 they still shove pro imperialist Japan propaganda like Abe visiting the war criminal shrine.
Plus it was the US that killed the Japanese economy in 1985 because they (us) is scared of Japan overtaking them.
At least it is percieved as a problem. Here in Italy you have 22% of the population above 65 y.o. and this topic is rarely discussed.
100% true. And the Italian family system rely on the elderly to look after their grandchilden since their parents are at work. If you stop and think for a moment this is even crazier than the Japanese reality.
People are making a fuss about Japan.
This makes me sad, I want Japan to thrive :(
U meant thrive buddy strife is the opposite
@@poundsofslothcigars I think he meant strive for betterment. That is a thing. But all I can think of now is who guilty that gear is.
@@poundsofslothcigars Thanks brotha I edited
@@hickknight ye but in this context thrive is the proper term. Just tryna make sure da bois can't get crowned on by pedantic folks lol
Same. I'm genuinely worried about the future of Japan...
Make school less expensive. Japan is one of the few country's I know that charges for high school education forcing children to get student loans at age 15.
In general, Japan and the social norms in Japan make kids extremely expensive. Like you're expected to send your child to a juku after school, not only does that not actually make the kid any smarter, just makes them sleep in class at school, but it's also hella expensive.
And while a lot of these things might be the fault of parents wanting their kids to be perfect it's also schools that promote these things.
Day care for children here is also extremely expensive and working hours are way too long so a lot of people would rather have a pet than an actual child.
Then there comes the issue with child custody. Men have no rights whatsoever in family court. If they get the 3 hours per month they are told that they should be happy and that they are ''lucky''.
So would you want to have a child if the risk is high that you might never be able to see them again if your wife decides to?
And where does your child go if you die? Adoption is hard and almost impossible while abusive mothers usually are still allowed to get custody after a few years in jail. Gay couples that can't have children on their own would be the best people to adopt, probably the only ones these days... but they aren't allowed to. Kids that don't have parents or have abusive parents are more likely to kill themselves, so that's a generation lost because of simple stubbornness.
Suicide in general is a huge issue here but people act like it doesn't exist and don't talk about it even at school. Mental illness should be something serious they should talk about at a young age so kids can seek treatment before it's too late.
From what I've seen, Japan is slow and tries to avoid changing anything as much as possible. Not even until someone dies because of it, it's until politicians suffer because of it.
Children aren't taught to think for themselves either, they are taught to shut up and listen. Not to think about history and politics in class, just write down what is written in the book and memorize the names ane years that your teacher told you to.
So that also just makes changes almost impossible.
I thought public school are supported by government
Wow, that's all very solid.
@@satoriakihiro1283
Till middle school yes. But after that it gets expensive since the government decided they do not have to pay for that.
Half of the schools are private and while there are "public high schools" they are only slightly cheaper.
mandatory overtime needs to decrease, initiating more interactions with ppl insteas turning to technology for bonds and relationships...might actually help.
The solution is to give incentives to have children and develop a social/family life. As well as changing the work and life culture that came about from the defeat of ww2 and partially from before. Just those two things would change things dramatically
@elf twentyfive Something like that, at the end of the day its heavily more cultural with some economic ties after all
@@Marianrest I don't know how it is in Hungary and Slovakia but introduction of kindergeld did not helped demography of Poland.
@@michafokin4003 I won't disagree if that's the case, it's not just an economic problem after all
The solution is to get rid of retirement or extend the age of retirement.
@@michafokin4003 Hungary from what I recall made it so a woman who has four children is exempt from income tax for the rest of her life.
I wonder how much time Yumiko spent in Australia. She has an exceptionally good accent. If I had closed my eyes, I would have thought she was an Australian girl who moved to Japan.
Nobita's videos these days are so high quality. Very informative, and very professionally made, and dealing with important subjects. I wish he got more attention, he definitely deserves it. I almost felt like I was watching a short documentary watching this.
I'm from Singapore - we also have a massive issue with a rapidly aging population. Over the past decade+, the govt here has been implementing a lot of the ideas mentioned here in the video and the comments; from financial incentives for having children and introducing more flexible parental leave standards to running campaign after campaign to help motivate the older population to stay a healthier and more active part of society. And yet, we're still rapidly aging. And unlike Japan, though our work culture is pretty heavy, we're nowhere near as overworked as they are, and we've known since our independence that we are a country whose population no. is very much dependent on immigration, so we do bring in people. Yet, we're still projected to more than double the % of our older population in less than a decade. So those solutions haven't been the most effective.
And why is that? As with many other places, the biggest blame lies with our high cost of living. Though SG does take it to another level. No amount of financial incentive can compete. And as is the trend with many other nations, those who are highly educated tend to put a lot more consideration and calculation into having children (rightfully so), both financially/resource-wise and time/emotional availability. And SG, along with many of these aging cities/nations, have a population that's relatively highly educated. As it is, many in my generation either grew up mostly alone/with a grandparent as both parents have to work. So to a lot of them, they'd rather just have 1 kid or no kid at all and be able to manage their household better, rather than stretch themselves as thin as their parents did and not be able to be there for their kids.
So I genuinely think, no matter how we spin things, nothing is really going to change unless that change starts from the very basic - in our classrooms. Anything and everything we can do now is a temporary fix. The younger generation will have to be the permanent solution. It's about teaching them from a young age the dangers of xenophobia, about teaching them better ways of managing a healthier work/life balance, better visions of what a warm, loving family have the potential to be, etc. Basically an overhaul of mindset. It's never about overwriting culture and tradition, but a raising a culture that's adaptable enough to survive.
This remind of a joke one Singaporeans tell me
Lets get married =//= getting married
But lets buy a house cause is cheaper if ur married lolz
An interesting point of view
今回のこの取り組みに参加できて光栄です。
ありがとうございます！
I believe that the largest issues that need to be solved is that Japan needs to help subsidise child care and the cost of raising children in Japan. Many people don’t have kids solely for the fact that it’s not always finically viable to have children. Another MAJOR issues is to improve the standard of living. We can all agree that Japan is an amazing place to visit and experience, but living in Japan can be hard. Hence why people who do come here on visas end up leaving in the first 1-3 years and not stay long term. There are a lot of societal issues that first need to be solved to improve the standard of living
Yeah you know irreguler jobs in japan? Peoples who get Money is uncertain. high cost of living Thats is problem. Also peoples who get reguler job n proper salary but no have time for getting partner because focus on job then overwork. Thats why suck is japan
This explanation as to why Japanese aren't having kids runs counter to what someone else had told me. He is a foreigner who said he's been living in Japan for over 30 years and has had 5 kids over there. So I had to ask him how was he able to have that many children over there if the average Japanese couple can't even afford to have one? This is what he had to say (direct quote):
*"The low birthrate is a symptom of affluence and the modern age.* The countries with the highest birthrates are the most impoverished. Japanese families are still having children, just not 3~5 like two generations ago. People are getting married later in life. *More young people are less interested in traditional paths in life. Consumerism and online virtual experiences occupy their attention.* The birthrate hit it's lowest point in 2005 @ 1.25 children per women of childbearing age. It has levelled off to between 1.43~1.47 over the past decade, which is prudent considering we are at the cusp of an age in which AI and mass-automation will have made 50% of current jobs obsolete within the next 25 years. Japan has a population of 126.3 million on an archipelago roughly the size of California which has a population of 40 million. 80% of Japan's land is mountainous, there is relatively little arable land, so a decrease in population is actually a good thing, especially considering the circumstances regarding AI and mass-automation. That said, there are still a huge portion of people like myself who eventually gravitate to a traditional family life."
@@rsuriyop Incidentally, birth rates have been declining across the developed world, not just Japan, for about a century. This was masked to some extent by decreasing infant mortality so populations still increased at a steady pace. I've seen a lot of studies showing that urbanization, and all it entails, is the prime contributor to lower birth rates. I think there are many other factors as well like women's liberation (birth control, workforce participation, etc.) that contribute to it. These are a natural consequence of social progress.
If you want to see something REALLY interesting, try searching for "Calhoun's mouse utopia," a science experiment done by a psychologist on the effects of overpopulation. Essentially, large population density can damage the psychology of animals to the extent that they become incapable of perpetuating themselves. Something to think about...
- Work / life balance
- Vacation
- Stable / comfortable income
When you start with this, the rest becomes so much easier to handle the situation in Japan.
Who has time to make and raise kids when all you do is working and not dating, having fun, raising and such...?
I miss old internet I remember that world full of idealistic weirdos. Now everyone is using it it's so corporate and full of dodginess of the unfunny kinds.
Burning Blitz the funny thing is I remember that we talked about how internet was the competitor for TV and that the reason television news had so many 'scary internet' stories in the beginning was because of this.... even 20 years ago some smart people saw it could be like this.
Burning Blitz I wonder if maybe us old people can somehow capture that again? We'll always have our memories. It was an innocent and gross time haha.
True, Internet was kind of a "wild west" back in the day with a lot of more creativity, although there was still a lot of sketchy shit going on back in the day.
Recently happened upon your channel and have not been dissapointed. I will put this as bluntly as I can. Everything starts off innocently when it comes to foreigners, then before you know it, Japan is no longer Japan. Don't make the same mistake many other countries have made around you. I'm sure I will catch hell for this, but it is extremely vital that Japan keeps its national identity. Keep up the great work and good luck 👍
Actually, read the comments here.. Most of the commenters would agree with this position.
I'm surprised that many are against immigrants. But that is probably the reality of the countries that have promoted immigration.
Unfortunately, Japanese people, including myself, can't read English and don't try to learn from foreigners, so I think immigration policy will probably be promoted.（Google Translation）
Much respect to that lady! Her words are wise, and comforting to hear. I needed to hear her words today. ありがとうございます🙏🏻🙏🏻✌🏻💞
"I've never seen any elders who've died by programming." Love her!
Just one minute after upload and I am watching it ! Thanks Nobita !
Nice work dude. Really enjoyed all the interviews and the way video was edited. So many different perspectives and insight. I hope right people are watching and making Japan a better place.
At 81 and programming !.... meine Gott. She has my respects
I fucking love this yt channel.mad respect for everyone on the video. Even you nobita-san.
Gulat din ako may pinay xD
Your videos getting better and better!
Thank you for making these videos!
Love your content nobita. This is worth everyone's time. We can learn so much from this.
This is not a Japan problem only.
The pandemic poked holes in many industries. That there weren't managed efficiently, especially the important sectors like health.
Misappropriating funds to other sectors, just to increase wealth. Creating more salary men and women who crunch (Karoshi) their life away and not consider starting families. Not supporting new parents enough. Shaming single parents. Not improving Caregiving, health, mental health, rehabilitation and trauma facilities.
We're quickly forgetting that our minds and bodies are competing with time, and at any moment. You can go mentally ill, a body part fail you, get injured while taking a jog or fall from cleaning the gutters.
What I'm saying is that this video should be a wake up call to anyone anywhere in the world who knows their health sector is in dire strain and don't have a plan b due to their savings account or situation.
I'd rather die swiftly than dredge out a lonely, painful retirement
Sounds like a you problam
We're much better about this in the US. Just balloon up to 300+ lbs and presto, we don't have to worry about long retirement!
Same
I see ur point. Honestly i dont wannna be old. I dont have problems with older ppl but being old, that ive seen is turture especially to 60+. U be fragile, weak immunity, an cant run or fend off predators like they use to be. I cant
Big F if you are Japanese, Japanese people live forever
yours truly is a fitness instructor and alot of elderly can lift weights, high in endurance..Fitness is one of the best solutions
Thank you! This was a very well researched and presented video. I really enjoy the way that you tackle these difficult topics so un-flinchingly.
Hi Nobita, I have just stumbled into your channel. It is very interesting, please keep the good content rolling. It is quiet helpful to better understand your not so well understood society. thank you for your time and dedication.
This isn't only in Japan. But the majority of wealthier countries are struggling with that issue. The irony when you have younger people either Persona3 themselves or being victims of domestic violence.
And those younger couples choosing not to have kids or simply 1 or 2.
That is true. In the Netherlands young people are urged to take care of their own elders instead of relying on people who work in the care industry simply because there are not enough resources. The stimulation however is lacking so a lot of elders end up in old folks homes all alone with a caregiver who is kind of forced into taking care of a lot of elderly for a relatively low wage. Respect for the caregivers.
この度は、コラボ動画のご提案など、ありがとうございました！
素晴らしい出来の動画ですね！
また、機会がございましたら、何卒宜しくお願い致します！
Thank you so much for all your suggestions on our collaborative video!
It's a great video!
I look forward to working with you again!
This was a very good research on the subject. nice job Nobita
low birth rates is still the bigger issue. if there are enough babies born every year, there wouldn't be a shortage of manpower and people can still age comfortably because industries can still function normally if there are always enough young people.
there's much to be said about cultures that nurture loneliness and isolation, and on top of that, if the cost of living is too high, then it's too difficult to raise a family. people would then not want to have kids even if they get married. and so the birth rate suffers and everything is affected by that. the aging crisis is more of a symptom of low birth rates.
i've never been to japan, but is modern-day japan still family-oriented? like, are households still usually multi-generational? if grandparents live with their families, i think that would somewhat partially solve the aging crisis even if the birth rate is still low.
As far as I am concerned, Japan has tried to be more family orientated for the past 20-30 years. It works a tiny amount. Japanese people usually have more children than Westerners (but immigrants who have children in Western countries means their birth rate is lower).
@@markhenley3097
it's sad because the retirees now helped build what japan is today.
Thank you Nobita for another great video!
Another great video. Thank you!
All the care workers interviewed in this video were outstanding people. I admire their compassionate and wise spirit.
4:51 Exactly! In my opinion, age should not be an excuse or a restriction to not do challenging things unless you really can't like if it's rock climbing or something.
If in the future Japan ends up with 50% elderly, that means pretty soon, their population would be halved. Because these elderly won't live very long. So the elders becoming independent might not actually solve the crisis.
So then there will be only 65 million Japanese. Those poor Danes or Norwegians with only a couple of million of inhabitants seem to have been surviving such a "crisis" for centuries now.
@@whuzzzup oh I guess that's true, but Japan does have more land mass to look after. i don't really know the ideal ratio though
This aging population issue in Japan will only be a temporary thing. Think about it. If Japanese birth rates are really low right now, then that could only mean that there will be a lot fewer elderly people to take care of in the future once the current younger generation becomes elderly themselves. Right now, this is just a short term hiccup that the country will have to deal with due to the enormous rise of the baby boomer generation. But once that generation dies off, the problem will correct itself. Too many people seem to be worried about the issue right now and I get it. But they aren't thinking far ahead in the future (which is very typical of human nature).
I wonder if having a high birth rate even is important in the first place anymore. You can always offset the problems through automation, you just need people overseeing the operations, as the technology is available.
@@rsuriyop that analyzation if flawed. If this trend continues, then there will always be more elderly to take care of then the younger population. If there are 5 children and their parents inside a Japanese household and only 1 of them decided to have a child, then there will just be one person in working age to support 6 old people. multiply that to the scale of their country.
Ms. Wakamiya's ideas are totally on point. Even my own mother feels left behind by changing times and technology but i encourage her to keep learning.
I think the solution is improving the work environment, and making incentives for people to get married. Not just in Japan but also around the world
At this point , getting married is a bankrupt risky situation. The herbivore men was the smartest ones that saw what was going on....
She made me cry. Masako Wakamiya. What an inspiration!
The biggest thing that would help is changing the work culture. Japan does not need massive cultural overhaul, but the work culture here is very extreme and not efficient. It is often more about face than about productivity. If the work day could be condensed and managed more effectively, reducing the hours, it would encourage those people to have a life outside of work. That includes possibly having a family.
There are many areas where small changes might prove helpful, but no where else on the planet works people the way Japan does. That manifests in a lot of exhaustion, isolation, and people who will never seriously date or marry.
Very good and informative video, thank you.
Very informative and educational. Great video.
I love your videos and I would love to at least visit Japan. Thanks for the videos
*Superb interview! The elderly app entrepreneur is very lively and has a lovely approach to life. Sir, you’re so energetic and enthusiastic. You must be a great Japanese teacher!*
I think she's a she
Thank you Nobita for this informative video
Wow Masako is incredible... let me speechless!!😱❤👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Nobita you are the top notch guy. You know what to talk about that requires attention.
I feel like no matter what changes japanese government comes up with, if the overworking trend stays, nothing will change . It might just push more people over edge due to another stress factor - the change, while still maintaining the biggest one hanging around.
*Japanese people are working SO HARD, but who are you working so hard for? For the future of Japan? But the future of every country are children - and those come from families.*
You cant just skip actually settling down with your spouse and having kids, children are actually a fuel /a motivation to work harder and be more precise at youe job for so many people all around the world. We all want to provide more and better for our small humans that will once do the same for their kids - and thats the cycle of life and how every country progresses over time.
I like how nobita tackle social issues because he is so transparent
Great content, it is really interesting for a foreigner who's in love with Japan to understand the topics that are most worrisome for the country.
People need more free time and incentives to have more than one kid, here in Denmark we got the time but we don't have a reason other than "if we feel like it" to have more than one kid. That is why populations are declining, foreign workers are just a band aid as eventually you will simply either make the former majority a minority since they still don't have kids or the foreigners will also slowly stop having a lot of kids. The second one is something we are seeing happening in a lot of western countries, second and third generation immigrants tend to have about the same amount of kids as the majority population. I also think we simply gotta try to make family life more appealing to people in general, the way Hollywood sells family life is basically either tragedy or a ball and chain killing your hopes for success in any other areas, young people are gonna look at that and pretty quickly say "no thanks", even if somewhat subconsciously, hell I've seen women praised for saying they never want kids and no, I'm not saying it's some grand conspiracy or something I'm just saying we aren't exactly, being encouraged to have big families.
Yes, exactly. While people should be free to pursue what they want, they should be encouraged to make families and that should be the norm.
Some blame the low birth rate in the fact that women are prioritizing work over having babies, but if they received a fair salary for their work, they wouldn't have to fear being dependent of their husbands and have some kind of assurance. My japanese friends said that as women they already expect to receive less and are used to it, but they don't want to live depending on their future husbands the same way their mothers did, one of them even revealed that her parents weren't really a couple, just lived together, because of her and her little sister, since her mother couldn't provide to the 3 of them, my grandma was the same, she suffered a lot with my grandfather, because she had to, otherwise she wouldn't be able to live and raise my mother. Even when i received a job proposal from a company there, i did my research about jobs in Japan, it said that my salary would depend on my gender too, i know that it happens in a lot, if not all, countries, but in some they don't even care about giving women a chance to change it.
Exactly, this is one of Japanese cultural peculiarities driving a vicious cycle to lower birth rate.
Such an inspiration!
Wow this is a serious video and topic to discuss. Very seriously indeed
Tax incentives, and Corp benefits for people to have more children. Make having more kids easier, subsidize child care so parents can work and provide tax breaks for each child you have so they can afford more children.
In other words, what a certain mid-century German leader did for his people.
@@didymussumydid9726 No. They should do what What France, the USA and others do more or less now. The 2 career family has reduced the birth rate as well as like many developed economies where marriages occur later and later in life.
Child care is basically free, parents get a combined total of 3 years worth of paid parental leave and birthrates are still way too low in Sweden. So no, I would say there's some good empirical evidence that your solution will not solve the problem.
If anything, I think you're going to have to force a cultural change back to one that values having children. Modern culture definitely doesn't.
@@Xaanin people need a reason to live and a reason to exist beyond base materialism, which is all that neoliberal modernity can offer
@@Xaanin This is exactly it. Until you change the cultural mindset around children nothing will change. And Sweden is the perfect example of this, as you said.
The elderly have to be productive? I mean it sounds good but it's kind of ridiculous. After working for the entire life no one is more deserving of a rest
The Japanese should instead start thinking of increasing the birthrate.
I got your point and absolutly correct. Elder people deserve resoect and rest.(thanks to their dedication, our country went better from nothing)
but almost all northen east asian countries like japan, china, s.korea(worst) failed in increasing birthrate for more than couple of decade due to many reason. I think policy maker tried all means they can imagine and plausble
It seems like there will be huge crisis unless elder people become what they were used to be again... worker
Productive only in a capacity that makes one feel useful. Without purpose we shutdown and die a weak miserable death. I'd rather go out old and strong knowing I gave my best to those I could serve around me that were less fortunate and less capable. Everyone is useful. Finding your gifts sometimes takes till the end to discover it but it does happen.
Good doco!! To the point!! 👌👍🙂🙂
respect to Masako Wakamiya, you're never too old to learn!
Even without AI, I get the impression there's a lot of mechanization that could be done to bring the amount of labor needed in other industries down. Japan is surprisingly conservative in a many ways.
Foreign workers present problems whether or not Japanese society accepts it in the long run (and I very much doubt that it will.)
One thing that I dislike about the information presented in videos like the one on the Gaijin Card -- which is really discrimination in the form of sort of an anti-privilege -- is it leaves the impression that a foreigner can integrate themselves into Japanese society with enough patience if they are complicit to the Japanese way of life, when this is a fallacy. A foreigner is under no circumstances accepted in Japanese society as a citizen and the more Japanese they learn the more they will be excluded. (Nobita even touched on this in another video.) It is very destructive to give people the wrong impression on this matter.
The main problem with the first two solutions is they compromise Japan's national identity, the second more so than the first. All facets of Japanese life, including Japanese language, are seen as inseparable from the whole. So a Foreigner can never be a valid part of it even if they learn the language and customs, as demonstrated most vividly by the case of Zainichi Koreans.
It's possible for people to work at an older age than before, but this can only alleviate the problem so much and doesn't get at the core of the issue. The only way this could present a long term solution is if the population could age and keep working indefinitely. Otherwise the population will simply continue to age until the number of dependents outweighs the independent population again.
It's a very important measure, along with supporting caseworkers, but isn't a conclusive answer. There is as yet no answer to this problem.
Another issue raised by longevity is that the longer a person stays in the workforce, the longer it takes for a younger worker to take his position: instead of one generation passing their work on to the next, there is inter-generation conflict that makes it harder for young people to flourish.
Reintroducing elderly people into work could have a similar effect.
What the future of Japan would gain in one direction it would lose in another.
If you what you say is true, I would just like to know why? In what way would the Japanese truly lose their identity if more "gaijin" assimilated into Japanese society. What are the Japanese afraid of? The Japanese would have maintained the Sakoku period of isolation if not for foreign intervention. Is gunboat diplomacy necessary for Japan to save itself? Open up Japan! Your beautiful women, katana blades, anime, and good food should be shared with the rest of the world.
deym very well said, everything you pointed out hit the mark.
@@bilalmega3349 The Europeans have opened their borders but they are still ageing, the problem has only being slowed down, but on top of that now Europeans have large hostile foreign populations within their borders threatening the national unity, continuity, and public safety. Japan most likely wants to avoid this.
@@sunset-inn No, they don't. Stop watching right wing trash.
My grandmother used to say: Теле се учи, вол не се учи (You can teach a stot, but not an ox). But this video proves that quote wrong.
That grandma is truly inspiring.
This was a great video! I used to be a Support Worker for people with intellectual disabilities and some with physical disabilities. This (and age care) is an area that really needs to improve in any country (I'm in Australia). Carers and support workers are under-valued unfortunately, as looking after those that need it will never go away. Thanks for covering this issue.
Regardless of nationality, there will always be a need for carers & I believe they should receive a decent salary for their efforts, contributions and commitment.
Lessen your working hours and let the people enjoy their free time.
Don’t have a mildly racist and isolationist 98% native population ethno-state with one of the most restrictive immigration policies in the world
they have the shortest working hours tbh. for office workers, 40hrs a week. most of the contract workers works 4hrs a day that's why many of them have 2-3 jobs.
the only problem is their mindset.
1. you don't leave office until your boss leave first.
2. they work hard, not smart.
3. success is measured by their material possession.
4. they judge one another based on their life status. i.e. if your child is a company president then your family is very likeable vs. a family of salarymen.
@@daltongarrett3393
that makes no fucking sense whatsoever.
Japanese people need to be more racially aware in order to further focus on procreation. The long working hours is working agaisnt this
@@ProtoIndoEuropean88 Since you do not have enough children the other option is to manage your decadence... another lost decade?? how many lost decades do you like??.... look at Canada, similar birth rate than Japan but population and economy still growing.
@Mio why would you give two shits about a demographics change if you’re not racist? I live here, I’m an American, but most of the foreigners that come to live here are just Asians that don’t have much of a difference in cultural values at all. What are you, some sort of Jewish question kind of person that thinks that black and brown people are trying to breed the white race out of existence?
Age is not the challenge but keeping healthy while aging is a challenge for many. From good health, independence, growth, and engagement is possible.
What a legendary lady! Very impressive!
Great video
I believe Japan needs to fix this problem without using foreigners, or at least a lot of them. Japan’s way of thinking and culture is not conducive to any foreigners way of anything and ultimately Japan will have to lose a lot of what makes Japan, well Japan. I’d hate to see Japan disappear along with its beautiful culture and history because it’s overrun with foreigners and their opinions. I love your content on these social issues so much, I’d love to chat with you on solving Japan’s issues without disregarding Japan’s culture and history. I wonder what your thoughts are on using the countryside to tackle most of the issues you like cover, suicides, bullying, low birth rate, etc.
That is true but its honestly not possible. There are plans especially from this current government and even right wing parties to open up more for immigration and for Japan to become a more diverse nation. At the end of the day countries like Australia, Canada, US, UK, Germany are all success stories because of their successful integration of immigrants as members of their respective societies. ITs important japan starts accepting more immigrants especially highly skilled workers as it could really help them like it did for other countries.
@@avaneeshnagre7916 Germany has lots of problems with its immigration and also crime. Japan is a lot safer compared to Germany. Australia,Canada,US etc arent good examples since they are immigrant countries for most of their history while Japan has been homogenous. Furthermore finding the amount of qualified foreigners without disrupting social cohesion seems possible. So overall it doesnt seem like a good solution
It’s game over. They’ll either have to allow foreign workers in or face economic ruin.
I’m fine with either.
"Elderly people must be independant"
... that'd cute, but when you cannot even move or when your mental capacity starts to slowly fade away, this is just not a posibility, no matter how determined you are.
@@Greenforrest7342 What's naive is thinking that elders that require around the clock medical care to the point of barely being able to move or with mental decrepitude can still be "independants" through willpower or whatever. And every single human will reach this phase, unless they die early.
Yumiko is a hero.
What an inspiring woman ❤️
Japan is not Alone in Ageing (age 65+) list
Japan - 28% (22% in 2010)
* USA - 18% (12% in 2010 still fastly ageing despite most immigrants in the world)
* Germany - 22%
* Italy -24%
* UK & France - 20%
* Canada - 18%
* China - 15% (china will be more ageing than Japan in future)
Anime never gets old
This goes in depth more than any documentary
very strong attitude this woman has! big mood
you have really outdid yourself again Nobita, one day I hope you get a medal from the government for all your genuine efforts
One solution which I think could work. Japanese retirement companies setting up retirement homes in places in southeast asia. In some ways Thailand and Philippines has already started this with some Western retirees. They can hire Japanese care givers and give them the same salary there(they can help train the local caregivers in what to do and in Language). The salaries and pensions will go futher here and in the end the Companies profits will still mostly go to Japan. It curbs immigration to Japan and it gives retirees a new warmer place to live the rest of their days.
I love listening to you 🙋♂️
1. Very inspiring. 80 is the new 20.
2. Respect. Salute to all caregivers.
"There are so many Japanese caregivers who work really hard, so we should think about them first"... Meanwhile the video focuses on the lack of workforce in the field. And the overwork because of it lol. There's also an argument here made about improving the work environment in Japan first. This is first-hand experience: Japan has a tendency to not change unless forced to. There's an argument to be made that the environment won't change unless there' foreign workers to point out what's wrong with it in the first place. Even then, through personal experience, the management will listen, but that's about it. Rarely do I see any real change.
There is a lot of caregivers, but there is even more elderly, it's a huge population compared to a lot of other countries that suffer from caregiver shortages.
@@aromardu exactly my point. That's why the action of relying on foreign help was employed. But apparently the situation isn't bad enough to consider that for some people.
Goddamn this video brought a smile and tears to my face at the same time. Thank you Nobita. :')
I like Yumiko's attitude and wow her English is impeccable.
Seguchi-san is also on point with everything he said, especially the "afraid to try new things". This is especially evident with businesses in general, Japanese companies WILL NOT TRY SOMETHING NEW unless the success rate is 120%, 90% is not good enough. Baffling how a country known for its technological prowess is afraid of taking a leap to improve their business, including going more digital and stop with damn fax machines.
Regarding robots, they will not help make more babies.
Regarding foreigners, I definitely vote for that but they need to be able to speak the language and the government needs to accept both longer Visas AND immigration (for those who speak Japanese and have AT LEAST N3) otherwise it'd be too expensive to "babysit" foreigners who can't speak at all.
This is a part of a much much MUCH bigger discussion about "Japan wanting to remain "pure" and therefore not accepting as many foreigners as they should". So if that's the case they should prohibit mandatory overtime. If you have nothing to do because you finished your job for the shift then go home and have a life, not stay at work to "look good". Overtime leads to stress that leads to suicide. Having overtime gives you less free time for yourself and going on dates, getting married, having kids.
It's the extra babies being born that will help balance the elder population in all aspects, mentally, physically, emotionally.... Early in the pandemic, many countries (Japan included) felt like they didn't declare a state of emergency quicker so they could conveniently let seniors die because they "cost too much" because they have to pay their pensions and stuff. This is a big domino effect and it's all intertwined.
Regarding your points:
DEFINITELY YES!!!
I can see N5 tested out of the country, and an integrated language program in country to achieve the minimum of N3, is feasible. N3 expectation on arrival isn't doable since immersion is the fastest and most reliable way, and it would require Japanese taught in foreign schools by Japanese natives teaching.
This is a tough one that I haven't thought about before. I think these ideas are good, but until the "it can't be helped" mentality is moved out of the way it might be really hard to get things rolling.
The octogenarian is amazing! .. she is 100% right..chronological numbers are just that...anything is possible when you are able at anytime in your life..norbita love your channel..so informative!