Japanese corporations cut workday to boost birth rate
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Tokyo, Japan, Jan 26, 2009 / 08:49 pm (CNA).- Japanese electronics giant Canon and other, seeking to boost Japan’s flagging birth rate, now allows employees to leave early twice a week to encourage them to have more children.

The Japanese birth rate is 1.34 children per woman, well below the 2.1 required to maintain population size, CNN reports. Its population is aging at a faster pace than any other country in the world.

Japan’s 12-hour workday is one factor blamed for the low birth rate, in addition to the country’s high cost of living and social rigidity towards women and parenting.

"It's great that we can go home early and not feel ashamed," Canon employee Miwa Iwasaki told CNN.

"Canon has a very strong birth planning program," Canon spokesman Hiroshi Yoshinaga said to CNN. "Sending workers home early to be with their families is a part of it."

Canon’s 5:30 pm “lights-out” program also helps the company cut overtime expenses during the global economic downturn.

Keidanren, Japan’s largest business group with a membership of 1,300 major corporations, has asked its members to let employees go home early to spend time with families and help improve the birth rate.

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Subscriber comments:
Published by: Linda
England 02/13/2009 08:37 AM EST
The EU sent a delegation (missionaries?) to Japan to encourage it to adopt immigration as a solution to Japan's impending labour shortages, as if it were any of the EU's business. It seems to me that the EU couldn't risk an industrialised nation like Japan repealing its abortion laws. It might have a global domino effect.

But where is the delegation (missionaries)from the Vatican, promoting a different solution to Japan's demographic crisis? Why does the Church leave problems like this in the hands of EU sharks?
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Published by: ohmohm
Bangkok 02/07/2009 12:52 PM EST
I think government should eliminate loan sharks first before thinking about increasing birth rate.
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Published by: linda
England 01/28/2009 07:13 AM EST
What use is this initiative, if they are all on contraception or visit an aboriton clinic afterwards?? Governments are failing to acknowledge the real cause of the frighteningly low birthrate. So are the people.

Everyone wants to have their cake and eat it. A country can't have both abortion and contraception and a healthy birthrate. Why, oh why doesn't the Catholic Church have a word in the ear of the Prime Minister? It could benefit both the Church in Japan and secure Japan's future. I think it's time the Church had a new politicaly savvy Cardinal Richelieu!!
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Published by: rene josef bullecer, md
Philippines 01/28/2009 02:53 AM EST
I'm very, very sorry for Japan. TOO late for Japan to act and realized their main problem - Severe Demographic Winter.

We here in the Philippines with a birthrate of 2.65% are doing our best to counter the programs of the anti-natalist groups particularly those funded from UNFPA and USAID.
God bless Japan! God bless the Philippines
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