The low birthrate in Japanese society is continuing. Although the government is calling for a better work/life balance and proposing measures to improve services for child-rearing couples, these remedies won't work unless the government develops measures that contribute to stabilizing the overall lives of workers — namely, their employment situation.
Ever since Japan's fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman gives birth to during her lifetime, hit a low of 1.57 in 1989, the government has taken various measures to counteract the decline. Still, the birthrate has continued to drop.
Toward the end of 2006, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research said the aging of the population and decline in the birthrate decline will become more serious. Its estimate shows that the national fertility rate of 1.26 registered in 2005 will continue through 2055, pushing the population from 127.77 million down to 89.93 million.