Opinion | Smile more? First, give Hongkongers something to be happy about
Hong Kong’s government has, it seems, jumped the gun on World Smile Day – which is usually on the first Friday of October – by starting its own smile campaign. …
birth rate
Shrinking Japan wants more babies by dangling financial carrots – will couples bite?
The average cost of medical care associated with having a baby could range between 503,000 yen (US$3,233) and 605,000 yen in Japan, according to some estimates. “That would be huge …
Japan’s birth rate hits ‘critical’ new low for eighth straight year, as demographic crisis looms
Japan’s health ministry described the nation’s birth rate as “critical” on Wednesday as it hit a record low for the eighth straight year, with the government moving to improve support …
Regret getting the snip or your tubes tied? Reversals will soon be subsidised in South Korea’s capital
Seoul plans to offer financial support to residents seeking to reverse a vasectomy or tubal ligation in the latest step aimed at boosting birth rates as a dwindling population threatens …
South Korea’s Yoon apologises over wife’s Dior handbag, vows to improve livelihoods
The president has little room to manoeuvre for the remainder of his single, five-year term after the election last month in which the opposition bloc led by the progressive Democratic …
U.S. birth rate drops to record low, ending pandemic uptick
The pace of babies born each year in the U.S. has slowed to a new record low, according to an analysis of 2023 birth certificate data published Thursday by the …
South Korea’s birth rate is so low, one company offers staff a $75,000 incentive to have children
Seoul — South Korea’s overall birth rate hit a record low of 0.72 in 2023, and with that figure projected to fall even further in 2024, some Korean businesses have started …
Japan to take ‘unprecedented steps’ to cope with record low birth rate as demographic woes deepen
Japan to take ‘unprecedented steps’ to cope with record low birth rate as demographic woes deepen The number of babies born in Japan fell for an eighth straight year to …
Opinion | Don’t fear an ageing population – rising inequality is the real enemy
In many developed countries, large parts of the population are over 65, with Japan having the highest proportion of elderly – 28 per cent of its population. People in this …
Japan study reveals 2 in 3 married couples ‘nearly sexless’ or no longer have sex, amid falling birth rates
Among the oldest demographic, some 78 per cent of women in their 50s said they were in sexless or very nearly sexless marriages, along with 81 per cent of men …