Entry #4: Japan (Country of Interest #1)

Three Pressing Cultural Concerns, Summarized
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1. Population
    In 2017, the number of Japanese citizens aged 90 or above was aimed at 2.06 million, thereby surpassing 2 million for the first ever time, according to an inter-governmental estimate. Such numbers are especially harrowing for a country infamous for its elderly society. Low birth rates-- coupled with high life-expectancy rates-- mean that the Japanese population is not self-sustaining; women are not reproducing at a positive rate. Federally funded incentives like extended paid-maternity leave and tax reductions are intended to revitalize a Japan’s presently lacking natalism.     A variety of factors are to blame for Japan’s “graying population,” but Japan’s current administration hopes to return the country to sustainable levels of population growth with the help of a comprehensive five-year plan. Through a human rights lens, Japan’s government is not equipped to deal with such a large portion of post-reproductive citizens. The burden of funding welfare for the elderly is weighing more and more heavily upon Japan’s dwindling workforce, and many fertile Japanese are delaying settling down and having a family. Additionally, Japanese citizens that do have children face poor access to childcare, a truth that succeeds in dissuading large numbers of competent, would-be parents. If Japan does not effectively raise its birth rates, its population will soon experience net loss, an issue with direct impacts on the state of Japan’s human rights and one that Japan recognizes to be of utmost importance going forward.
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2. Capitalism 
    Eager to reaffirm its position as a main player on the global stage, Japan has begun to place disproportionate focus on globalizing its economy and business sectors. Capitalism, consumerism, and commodification are three quintessentially “first world” philosophies that Japan has allowed to disproportionately dominate within its society. making us of mass media’s ever-increasing reach, the Japanese government has been able to galvanize its people’s support of policies that conflate  “efficiency” with "success." Measurable determinants of success--aka those that prove efficiency-- have become popular, with Japan focusing more intently on exports, imports, technological advancements, and growing industrialization and mechanization. In Japanese cities, everything can be bought, with locals and tourists alike frequenting “cuddle cafes,” hostess bars, and stores specializing in artificial intelligence for the purpose of “companionship.” This widespread attitude of detachment is not good for the cohesion of a nation, and Japan has been known to overlook internal human rights violations at the benefit of keeping their “machine” running.
    As Japan has not been allowed to militarize since the end of World War II, the Japanese government has turned their focus inward, attempting to perfect domestic affairs. This “overcompensation” of sorts has left Japanese citizens, especially those whom Japan has yet to integrate into urbanity, feeling neglected and scared at the possibility of an overly technological,sterile, and mechanized society.
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3. The Threat of North Korea 
    As of late, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been especially fervent in voicing his many anti-Japanese sentiments. Considering that North Korea was able to launch two missiles over Japan’s northern region in only a month and Kim Jong-Un is threatening to “sink” the nation using nuclear force, the Japanese people are anxious to know what the future will hold. Kim Jong-Un’s recent actions have also succeeded in furthering the Japanese people's’ dislike for NK (North Korea), with the japanese people already harboring resent for NK for admitting to the kidnapping of 13 Japanese nationals back in the 1970s and 80s. A joint poll conducted by the University of Maryland and a Tokyo-based nonprofit showed that 2/3rds of Japanese citizens do not believe that the problem of North Korea’s nuclear program will ever be resolved.
    Ever since 2017, when North Korea flew missiles over jurisdictional territory of Japan, the Japanese government has been trying to curb citizen panic and plan for emergency evacuations. Despite Japan’s efforts, it is hard to implement a nationwide “in the case of nuclear war, do this,”  considering that the extent of NK’s actual nuclear capital is still unknown. Citizens are worried about having apt time to seek shelter if actually targeted and are increasingly frustrated with the lack of information they are receiving from their own government. 

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