In the report, IPSS estimates that 33.4% of women born in 2005 will not have offspring. This is certainly a serious problem amid Japan's declining population. The government is also trying to find a solution to address this crisis.

"In June 2023, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to address the population crisis using several unprecedented methods, including providing greater financial support to families with three or more children."

While according to Miho Iwasawa, Director of IPSS, getting married in the late 30s often only results in one child or even none at all. "Some people also choose not to get married, which can certainly be a factor in the decline in birth rates," she said.

Not only the increasing cost of living and getting married at an older age, but also the cost of education for children has become the main reason why Japanese people are reluctant to have children. As an example, the tuition fees at private universities in Japan have increased fivefold from 1975 to 2021, and nineteenfold at public universities.

With an annual birth rate below 800,000 for the first time in 2022, this birth rate is far below the number needed to maintain a stable population.