The government is considering raising social insurance premiums to pay for measures to address the declining birthrate. What's your stance on that?

I have more than a stance, I have a better idea.

Large companies created the problem by hollowing out the Japanese workforce, reducing previously well-paid jobs for Japanese.

Now, part-time and irregular workers, making substantially less with no company benefits or retirement struggle to make enough money to have children.

Tax the companies; they created the problem. Large corporate profits can be taxed. There is no reason to hoard cash, since they can easily get financing and/or investment capital.

Put the burden on the people who created the problem, not the people who bear the burden from their actions.

Social insurance hike impact is massive to all workers. Government should put full effort in finding other cost cut as a first step.

From its introduction, we have been told that the consumption tax is to pay for social welfare so it seems strange that there should be a shortage of money.

My stance?

Get rid of the current government, clean house and start a new. They've made the country fall into the red for the last 30 something years. Not one good idea in that time period. They've definitely wasted and stolen enough public funds as it is.

In what legit business has any company survived over 3 decades of losses? None.

That simply can’t work. The only measure is to enable or bring together potential partners, if you want more babies. If now according to such proposals everyone has less money left for meeting, traveling or eating out etc and also companies hire a few staff less because of higher social security costs, then less people will meet in general and form less couples and have less babies.

Dumb just keeps getting dumber here sadly!

The govt proven beyond a shadow of any doubt it is utterly clueless wrt why the birth rate is sinking like a stone & will continue unabated in all likelyhood.

Meanwhile the population pyramid continues to narrow at its base, soon even if familes have 3-4 kids the decline will continue, I dont think Japan can escape what its become.

The government is considering raising TAXES to pay for measures to address the declining birthrate. 

There, fixed it.

This is easy.

Do you agree with measures?

No, I cannot consent to the government doing measures if do not know what "measures" means.

AI, robots and cheap care workers from South East Asia will mean Japan can get by with its falling population.

No need to encourage the poor to have more babies they cannot afford.

In general - futile.

since the main problem is not insurance.

Scrap the current system or I should say Rip Off and allow people to start their own retirement savings or what's called IRA, it works perfectly for so many in other parts of the world.

Government employees are getting large bonuses while the average worker can't pay their kids school fees.

THIS is why I left. At least one of the main reasons.

Last year alone I paid 31% to 34% of my previous year's salary between municipal/prefectural taxes, med. insurance and social insurance. That year's income was less than 200,000,000円. That's poverty level.

To make it worse, I tried to get unemployment benefits coz I desperately needed to use that benefit. And since I've already paid at least 14 years into the unemployment insurance, I thought I should finally make use of it.

But when I applied for it I got denied because the way it works, if you stop working as a company employee for a year, or didn't work for a full year before applying for the unemployment insurance, you are ineligible and your years of contribution, even if they were 20 years, reset to 0.

That year's income was less than 200,000,000円. That's poverty level.

Sorry you couldn’t live on a net 132 million yen. Did you blow it all on Lamborghini’s and champagne?

Sorry you couldn’t live on a net 132 million yen. Did you blow it all on Lamborghini’s and champagne?

Ha! That was a miscalculation of zeros. That should be 2,000,000 yen.

Haha, just kidding. Was funny, though. Good decision to leave. Being old and broke in Japan would not be fun.

Now, part-time and irregular workers, making substantially less with no company benefits or retirement struggle to make enough money to have children.

Tax the companies; they created the problem. Large corporate profits can be taxed. There is no reason to hoard cash, since they can easily get financing and/or investment capital.

Put the burden on the people who created the problem, not the people who bear the burden from their actions.

You just resolved one of the major contradictions of late stage capitalism with an easily implemented proposal that could resolve a large amount of misery in society.

Pity there are near to zero business and political leaders backing such a proposal, and most funding lobbying opposing it.

Unfortunately, true. The population has no lobbyists.

If you’re going to export jobs overseas to make more profit, you need to spend some of that to contribute to the health and well-being of your own society.

Dead-set against it. Instead of wasting vast sums of money on pointless projects and inflated bureaucracy, redirect it to fund the pension system. We already pay enough into it. Governments around the world, but particularly here in Japan, are addicted to kicking the can down the road, hoping that someone else will sort their problem and mistakes out for them. Part of the issue is that voters keep returning the LDP, so there's little chance of fresh ideas entering the fray with other parties taking the lead, so in a way it's the Japanese people's own fault that they'll be stuck with higher premiums.

But the problem is a complex one and requires deep thinking about the solution that takes the root causes into account and they need to be resolved before or alongside the pension plan for any real improvement.

I'm just re-reading Dogs and Demons after 20 years and it seems Japan has learned very little in the last two decades. This is going to be a rough ride, considering all the other issues overseas that will affect Japan at the same time as dealing with the pension problem.

The government is considering raising TAXES to pay for measures to address the declining birthrate. 

That's how I read it too. Considering that the reason people are not having kids is because they can't offord it, only in the Twilight Zone does this proposal make sense

I'm taking it up every hole. Why stop now? Pretty soon I'll be working for free

Seems that now the gov wants to tear us a new hole just to find a new place to stick it us. And considering the recent election (or should I say erection) results, it seems that the public here is of the "bend over, grab your ankles, and kiss your A$$ goodbye" mentality.

No need for such increases. The government pushes a button when it pays pensioners, crediting their accounts. They don't withdraw cash out of some account. That's what happens in a soveriegn currency country: the govt can spend money without actually having any money.

That's why the stimulus payments were within a day of being approved.

another proof that this LDP gov is worthless and have no ideas what to do whatsoever.

stop buy US outdated guns,stop all of olympics etc other PR relates unecessary costs and start to act finally in name of japanese interests,scrap sanctions against Russia,get steady flow of cheap gas,oil and anything needed for your economy.abolish VAT for basic food.pay for school fees of kids up to 16yo and hospital fees,give to families say at least 40000jpy for head as to raise kids costs a lot of money.tax more rich corporations and be less greedy by yourself.stop talk crap and finally start to do SOMETHING!

Ive got a great idea...how about the governments stop play the stock market with our pension and insurance money and losing it. Then they could use that money to pay for the falling birth rate, because they have made it so expensive to have children in the first place. What do you think people ?

Google this.........Japans GPIF, the worlds biggest pension fund, post longest loss in 20 years.

Ive got a great idea...how about the governments stop play the stock market with our pension and insurance money and losing it. Then they could use that money to pay for the falling birth rate, because they have made it so expensive to have children in the first place. What do you think people ?

I think you are assuming the LDP care about the falling birth rate. They don't. They had years to fix the problem. They didn't. They just kick the can down the road and hide their heads in the sand while paying lip service to all of Japan's woes.

That, unfortunately, is the state of things.

fwiw, I suspect the "measures" and "social insurance" here refers to using regular national health insurance to cover the cost of some fertility treatments. Something many people would agree with, if we could be asked in simple language and not meaningless politician-speak.

Because my business was heavily reliant on direct contact with clients, and the largest portion of my clients were dealing in retail and tourism (local mostly but some international).

My business dried up near instantly when covid hit and covid measure were in place.

I had around ¥ 2 million in gross income, after expenses I had a net of ¥800,000 and a ¥16,800 monthly social insurance payment ( that was the covid energy reduction level) on top I still had health insurance payments.

Yeap any saving I had was now what I was using to live on.

When I went to the social insurance office to see what I could do to reduce the payment until covid passed, the reaction was

"your wife and adult children what do they do? If you can't pay we can take from them"

I have seen loan sharks with more understanding!

Business grants were available during the covid for small and medium size businesses.

"your wife and adult children what do they do? If you can't pay we can take from them"

That's crazy. They should have allowed you to at least delay payment.