Japan's Population Policies

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said a government panel was due to recommend appropriate policies to this end next June. "We consider measures against the declining birth rate as very important," he said. "We have expanded child-support allowances in the recent budget, and we hope to further expand other benefits to counter the declining birth rate." Japanese women have cited inadequate child care, low part-time wages and long hours worked by their husbands as some of the reasons why they do not have any children, or only have one. Japan's population of 128 million is projected to fall to 100 million by 2050 if current trends continue.

Some of the distinct policies are as follows.

To encourage marriage and fecundity
Approx. 2000 years ago, the Roman Empire was also troubled by the declining birth rates, then Octavianus (Augustus) introduced several countermeasures. Various privileges to fecundity were written into laws. For example, when the abilities were equal, it was obligated that a man who had more children be employed as civil servant. He introduced "Single Tax" to single ladies.
Now, Japan should learns it, then introduce various preferential treatments that promote the marriage and birth, and to put the obligation to the firms to prepare conditions that employees can care children comfortably. Needless to say, it will erode the corporate efficiency and profits. So it is necessary to put the obligation equally into all the firms legally.　

Effective use of senior workers
Even if Japan would succeed to recover birth rates, it will take nearly 20 years that they will become workforce. During that time, current workers in their 10s to 50s will have to take heavy burden to care both retirees and children. One of the powerful countermeasures is to rehire or keep senior workers. As aging, seniors have lost their flexibility and quickness to some extent. But they are well-experienced, well-skilled and have hard working habits.
For more than 10 years after bubble burst, Japan's firms have tackled to reduce senior workers who usually enjoyed good wage. But when boomers will begin to retire, the hottest trend in the job market will how to keep senior workers or bring them back on the payroll.