Japan, Russia struggle with low birthrates

Tokyo City Hall is launching “Tokyo Futari Story,” a dating app aimed at addressing Japan’s declining population, while Russian President Vladimir Putin declared raising the birthrate a national priority recently.

Both countries are struggling with low birth rates but from different situations.

In Russia
The population decline is due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. At least 150,000 Russian soldiers have died and nearly a million people have fled the country.

Birth rates have hit their lowest in over two decades, with only 1.26 million children born in 2023, a 3.5% drop from the previous year. Regions close to the conflict have seen even steeper declines.

In Japan
Last year saw a drop of 6% in marriages, and childbirths declined by 5.6%, the lowest since the country started keeping records in 1899.

Hence the country’s dating app plan, which it hopes will facilitate pairings that will lead to marriages and children. Accessible via smartphones and computers, the app will launch before the year’s end.

Additionally, Tokyo City Hall will also host singles events, provide marriage counseling, and create personalized manga comics or songs to celebrate love stories.

The Japanese government is also offering cash incentives, free childcare and relaxed immigration policies to address these issues.

Meanwhile, Putin has designated 2024 as “the year of the family” and pledged up to $157 billion over six years for family support. The government is also looking at measures like restricting abortions to encourage larger families.

Despite these efforts, experts predict the number of women of reproductive age in Russia will shrink by around 40% by 2030 compared to 2010 due to economic instability and the ongoing war.