There is a natural trend to have less children and have them later, but that's not the whole story. Urbanisation means that jobs move into the city, so that's w

There is a natural trend to have less children and have them later, but that's not the whole story. Urbanisation means that jobs move into the city, so that's where the worker go, but that also the most expensive places to live. Old people generally live in the country side. So the people that you need to make babies, first are naturally less inclined, and even if they are, they live in a very expensive environment. The older generation that could help them don't even live close by so that one additional complexity. Then there are some Japan specific stuff like the stupidity bad work-life balance. That was bad with single worker family, but that just not feasible when both parents are working. There is a lot in there that is in the power of the government to help. Free nurseries, quality schools in cheaper area of big cities (note it is useless to give help to buy, just help people where they are instead). Cheap activities to keep the kids occupied during the holidays. Tax breaks. Penalising overtime. Lots of media coverage - having a kid should look something desirable. There is a trend, Japan won't beat the trend, but right now they are way worse than the rest of the world and they can definitively do something to get back in the pack. edit: Thinking as a parent. There are a lot of practical difficulties with children that are difficult/expensive to overcome when both parents are working: school and nursery time - generally they open way after you need to be at work and close way before, especially school. Here in the UK, school close a whole 3 hours before either my wife or I stop working. What am I supposed to do short of having relative to care of them, we will need to pay a private school where they offer to keep them a bit longer for a ridiculous fee on top of ridiculous admission cost.