U2A1 – Population Discussion

Countries are built with people, and their citizens make up the core resources of each nation.
For a country to remain strong and self-sustaining, a healthy economy is vital. The first
element of such an economy would be the manpower that each Government can gather.
Without enough manpower, no one can operate the farm and grow the crops, no soldier to
protect the border and no workers to run the factories. Hence, any sophisticated economic
strategy should begin with a complimentary population strategy. It has thus fallen into the
hands of individual governments to develop their population strategy in order to have a plan
for their future and guarantee long term prosperity.

Let us explore the case studies of two Asian countries with different population strategies and
their respective consequences. Both Singapore and Japan are considered highly developed
countries in Asia, while both countries face an extremely low birth rate. Amongst the two, the
situation in Japan seems more acute. According to research carried out by Tohoku University
Graduate School of Economics in Sendai, Japan may cease to possess no children aged under
15 by May 18, 3011 should the current trend of low birth rate continue. Despite the severity
of the threat of extinction, Japan is surprisingly adopting a more laid-back population policy
as compared to Singapore.

Singapore was facing a baby-booming period in the aftermath of WWII, marking its anti-
natal phase of population policy, which effectively controlled the birth rate that it has finally
fallen under the replacement level. By 1987, the Singapore Government had to pull a 180
degree U-turn in their population policy and imposed a highly proactive pro-natal approach.
The slogan "Have-Three-or-More (if you can afford it)" was launched to clearly state the
Government's intention to boost the birth rate. A dedicated Government department, The
Social Development Unit (SDU), was established in 1984 to carry out population policy and
promote the marriage of young Singapore nationals, especially those that have received
tertiary education. The Government rolled out an all-rounded incentive program including
monetary incentives to the birth of the 3rd child in the family, housing, tax and income
incentives. Despite the assertive approach, Singapore's drop in fertility rate seemed to have
only flattened but not reverse. The case of Singapore has shown how a Government taking an
absolute leading role in controlling its population can roll out measures and policy in all
aspects, yet still unable to counteract the natural trend of limiting fertility among their
nationals.

On the other hand, the Japanese Government faced a very different challenge despite the
common goal of increasing the fertility rate after WWII. Unlike Singapore, Japan is
comparatively more culture driven. The society is driven by a rigid set of norms, including
women being expected to take the role of full-time caretaker of their children and retreat from
the workforce. Balance of life between family and work is not encouraged, and these are just
scratching the surface of their unique work culture. Under such circumstances, despite the
Government's best effort to change laws related to birth rate, including an extension of paid
maternity leave or rolling out new legislation such as Child Welfare Law, the effects were
nearly non-existence. Every time the Government establishes new laws, employers only
respond negatively, such as simply hiring fewer female workers. The root of the issue
affecting the Japanese low fertility rate has not been resolved, and sadly, their Population
Clock continues to tick.
Citation
Singapore

http://websv.ipss.go.jp/webj-ad/WebJournal.files/population/2003_6/24.Yap.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zdcwxnb/revision/3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Population_planning_in_Singapore#Modern_legacy_and_current_practices

Japan
Family policy in Japan - Wikipedia

Fighting Population Decline, Japan Aims to Stay at 100 Million | Nippon.com

Microsoft Word - PBJapan_Final_28Oct2015 (un.org)

https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-05-13/population-clock-shows-japanese-face-extinction-
1000-years

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mS4XTGTfgw-wnj4sNVZhQonB-
0Uvh_cV2OzcOHa_6So/edit