By "plan" I meant simply "a method for achieving an end,"[0] not that you actually intend to act on that plan. Feel free to replace "plan" with "idea" if that i

By "plan" I meant simply "a method for achieving an end,"[0] not that you actually intend to act on that plan. Feel free to replace "plan" with "idea" if that is better. I'm really confused by your comparison to the US again here: is the homeless problem in the US because of overpopulation as opposed to drugs and mental illness, for example? If so, then if US cities are overpopulated to the extent that the homeless level has gone up so much, Japan is most certainly even more overpopulated, and it's a forgone conclusion that the population should decrease. If the homeless problem in the US is not due to overpopulation, then how is the homeless problem in the US relevant to the overpopulation problem in Japan? In any case, the US fertility rate is also low, at 1.64. So I think it's fair to say the cost of living, the largest of which is housing, plays a crucial role in the fertility rate. A family can't live in a cupboard, no matter how "accustomed to the idea" one may be. At the very least, most people wouldn't choose to start a family in a cupboard, and that is certainly reflected in the Japanese fertility rate. [0]https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plan https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plan