Birth rate

A Japanese boy stretching with a ball during a clinic arranged by J2 football club Matsumoto Yamaga with the Matsumoto City Kiri Kindergarten in Japan, in November 2018. (SPH Media)

Can Japan overcome its declining birth rate?

Japanese academic Hisakazu Kato observes that Japan's low birth rate has been an issue for decades seemingly with no solution, and despite efforts by the Japanese government to address the problem, its policies have come under criticism for not being what the people need.
People ride a small train for children on a street in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China on 16 September 2023. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

Why China’s population policies always veer towards the extreme

China’s population policies have had a tendency to veer towards the extreme since the era of Mao, says commentator Yu Shiyu. A delayed response to adjusting the one-child policy, which has resulted in a declining population and is expected to have an adverse economic impact, demonstrates the inefficiency of an authoritarian system in self-correcting. Its decision making could also swing between extremes as it is based on subjective top-level thinking.
A couple prepare to pose for photos near the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, on 24 June 2023. (Greg Baker/AFP)

Regular phone calls and cash incentives: China goes the extra mile to encourage childbirth

Local governments in Chinese cities are taking extra measures to encourage couples to marry early and have children. However, given the youth’s shifting values and society’s tolerance for singlehood, these measures are falling short. Meanwhile, netizens are lamenting that government policies should not be coercive or objectify women.
A woman walks on a street in Shanghai, China, on 15 May 2023. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Egg freezing in China: A woman’s right to have control over her body

Currently in China, assisted reproductive technology (ART) can only be applied to married couples with infertility issues. Social egg freezing (SEF) is prohibited in most regions of China, except Jilin province. The case of Xu Zaozao, a single lady who sought to freeze her eggs, has cast more attention on this issue. Chinese academic Lorna Wei points out that even as women advocate for the right to decide if she would like to freeze her eggs, they may be stuck in a continuing patriarchal trap.
The matchmaking corner at Chongqing People's Park, China. (SPH/Edwin Ong)

Desperate parents gather in China's latest matchmaking park for the sake of their kids

Since the start of this year, hordes of parents have descended on the Chongqing People’s Park matchmaking corner every weekend to find a potential mate for their children. Many parents there lament that the matchmaking corner is like a “hypermarket” where parents try to “outmanoeuvre” each other. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong believes that it is also a microcosm of the socioeconomic divide in China.
People gather to burn incense sticks and offer prayers at the Lama Temple, in Beijing, China, on 19 February 2023. (Jade Gao/AFP)

More Chinese youths visiting temples to seek solace

As Chinese youths face pressures on all fronts, from education to job hunting and even finding love, they are finding some solace in prayers to gods. But a recent article from state media denouncing such behaviours has sparked uproar among the youths, claiming that the authorities are far removed from the problems young people face today.
A child is carried along Nanluoguxiang alley in Beijing, China, on 22 January 2023. (Noel Celis/AFP)

Why a sperm bank drive is fuelling fears of infertility in China

The drive in China to get more sperm donations have triggered concerns of a shortfall in supply and rising male infertility rates, but it also plays into the wider national anxiety over a population decline in the country.
In this file photo taken on 11 May 2021 children play outside a cafe in Beijing. (Greg Baker/AFP)

Shrinking population impacting preschools in China

Following the recent report on China’s shrinking population, Zaobao’s correspondent Wong Siew Fong takes a closer look at how this might affect China’s education system, and what the authorities will have to do to mitigate these effects, in terms of planning ahead and being proactive rather than reactive.
A newly wed couple pose for pictures on Valentine's Day at a marriage registration office in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, 14 February 2023. (China Daily via Reuters)

China is cracking down on exorbitant bride price rates to save marriages

While a bride price or dowry is a marriage custom in China, the monetary value of the bride price has been getting out of hand in many places. At the top of the list is Jiangxi province, where bride prices can go as high as US$116,000. Zaobao’s China Desk examines the phenomenon and what is being done about it.