Japanese Mothers Paid To Have Kids?

Source:
CNN

Japan has one of the worlds lowest birth rates. In fact the majority of the population is over fifty years old. They wish to lower the number from sixty-five to forty by 2050 but that's a long way away and the lack of young children and teenagers is a huge strain on their economy.

Don't worry! The Democratic Party of Japan is coming to the rescue! They're offering to pay Japanese families to have another child! A set amount every year until the child reaches High School. Some people are thrilled with the idea while others aren't quite as thrilled. A mother mentioned in the CNN article says it would help very much with a second child while an economist claims it doesn't help the problem.

What is the problem? Economist Yuri Okina believes it is the lack of day care centers. It's practically impossible for a mother to go to work and raise her kids due to the lack of day care. She wants to make it a normal thing for a woman to have a career and children in Japan. She isn't alone in her beliefs. Other critics have claimed this plan doesn't fix the day care issue as well.

It's up to the Japanese government to decide whether it would be more wise to throw money at indecisive parents or if it would be wise to open more day care. As of now, they're handing out money.