関連記事

=[]= =就活女性　求む「イクメン」=

収入より家事・育児協力
未婚女性を対象にしたイクメンの見分け方講座. イクメンたちが語る子育てのエピソードに、参加者は耳を傾けていた（５月、東京都内で） 育児を積極的に楽しむ男性のことを最近「イクメン」と呼ぶ. そのイクメンが、結婚を考える若い女性たちから熱い視線を浴びている. 厳しい経済状況下で、共働きしながら子育てしていくには、イクメンが不可欠. 将来のイクメン候補の見分け方を教えるセミナーも開かれた. 東京都内で先月、「結婚するならイクメンがいい！　育児をするオトコの正しい見分け方」と題した婚活支援セミナーが開かれた. 参加したのは約２０人の独身女性たち. イクメンのモデルとして会社員や公務員の男性５人が登壇し、「会社に頼み、勤務時間を工夫して子育てしている」といった体験をそれぞれ語ると、女性たちは「こんな男性が理想」とうなずいていた. セミナーは、父親の子育てを支援するＮＰＯ法人「ファザーリング・ジャパン」が、独身女性を対象に初めて企画した. 熱心に聞いていた会社員女性（２７）は「自分が仕事を続けることを尊重してくれるイクメンと結婚したいが、見分ける自信がなくて参加した」と話す. 子育て支援活動を通じて多くの男性を見てきたファザーリング・ジャパン代表の安藤哲也さんは「イクメンになる男性には、共通の特徴がある」と指摘し、１０項目のチェックリストを作っている＝別表＝. コミュニケーション能力や思いやりの有無を確認する項目が並ぶ. 「彼氏の性格を確かめる時の参考にしてほしい. 自分の話ばかりする『俺様』的な人は要注意です」 安藤さんはさらに、結婚前に彼の実家に行って「彼の父親が母親に接する態度」をよく観察することが大事だという. 将来の彼の姿かもしれないからだ. また、デート中に子育てについて話し合ってみることも勧めている. 結婚情報サービス会社「オーネット」が昨年９月、２０～３０代の未婚女性９００人に結婚相手を選ぶ際に重視することを尋ねたところ、「家事・育児への協力姿勢（８８％）」が、「収入（７５％）」や「職業（６１％）」を上回り、イクメン重視の結果が出た. 今の若い世代は、デートの費用も割り勘にするなど男女平等意識が強く、女性たちは「子育ては２人でするのが当然」だと思っているからだという. ただ、今イクメンが求められる背景には、「若い世代の給与所得が伸びない経済状況もある」と同社広報担当の加藤寿章さん. 共働きすると、夫の育児への協力が大事になってくるからだ. 総務省の「就業構造基本調査」で３０～３４歳の男性の所得分布をみると、最も人数の多い層は、１９９７年には「５００万～６９９万円」だったが、２００７年には「３００万～３９９万円」に低下している. 加藤さんは「イクメンが熱い視線を浴びる傾向は、今後も続くのでは」と話している.

イクメンになれそうな男性の特徴
□他人と自分の違うとこ　ろを認められる □日常生活でよく笑い、　笑顔が多い □実力以上によく見せよ　うとしない □相手の話をよく聴く □身の回りのことは自分　でできる □自分から積極的に仕事　に取り組む □自分の家族に感謝の気　持ちを持っている □腹を割って話せる仲間　がいる □遊びも仕事も熱中して　楽しんでいる □自分らしさを知ってい　る （ＮＰＯ法人ファザーリング・ジャパン作成資料より抜粋） （2010年6月5日 読売新聞）

[] =増えろ！「イクメン」　厚生労働省がプロジェクト発足= イクメンプロジェクト発足式に参加した長妻厚労相（左から４人目）とイクメンプロジェクト推進チームメンバー. 仕事だけでなく積極的に育児をする男性、名づけて「イクメン」を増やして、子育てしやすい社会にしようと、厚生労働省は17日、「イクメンプロジェクト」の発足式を開いた. 男性が育児する社会的機運を高めるとともに、夫婦で協力して育児する環境を作ることで、出生率の向上と女性の就業率を向上させることを目指している. 厚生労働省によると、男性の育児休業取得率は１．２３％（２００８年度）に過ぎない. 同プロジェクトでは、これを２０１７年度に１０％、２０２０年度には１３％まで高めることを目標に掲げている. あわせて、第一子出産前後の女性の継続就業率を２００５年の３８％から、２０１７年に５５％まで高めることを目指すとしている. 少子高齢化が進むと、現在は、現役世代３人で６５歳以上の高齢者を支えている「騎馬戦」の状態が、２０５５年には現役世代１人が６５歳以上の高齢者１人を支える「肩車」の状態になると予想されているため、社会保障の担い手を確保する意味でも、少子化改善策の一環として、「イクメン」を増やすことが不可欠という考えだ. 厚労省では、「イクメンプロジェクトホームページ」を開設. 積極的に育児に参加している男性を「イクメンの星」として毎月選出するなどの企画を通じて社会的な機運を高めたいとしている. 長妻昭厚労相は発足式で、「選挙、選挙の人生で、時々家に早く帰ったときに子どもをお風呂に入れて妻に渡すぐらいしかやったことのない人間. これからはなるべく早くかえって（育児に）取り組んでいきたい」とあいさつ. 家事参加について質問されると「コップを洗うとか…」と苦笑. 「私自身の意識改革が一番重要ではないかと痛感しているので、努力していきたい」と“イクメン宣言”した. （2010年6月18日 読売新聞）

[]


 * 平成22年6月掲載 ||  ||

男性も育児休業を取りやすく！ 改正育児・介護休業法がスタートします.
育児をしながら働く人が仕事と生活を両立できるよう、平成4年にスタートした「育児休業法」. その後、平成11年には介護休業が、平成17年には子の看護休暇が制度化されるなど、仕事と家庭の両立支援制度は充実をみてきました. しかし、依然として、仕事と子育ての両立が難しく、仕事をあきらめる女性も少なくありません. また、女性の育児休業取得は当たり前になっている一方で、男性の育児休業取得は依然として少ないままです. こうした中、子育て期間中の働き方を見直し、仕事を続けやすい仕組みづくりと父親も子育てができる働き方の実現を目指した「改正育児・介護休業法」が、平成22年6月30日から一部を除き施行されます.

「改正育児・介護休業法」の4つのポイント
夫婦共働きの家庭が多くなっているなか、出産後も仕事を続けたいと望んでいる女性も多くなっています. しかし、実際には、働く女性の約6割が第一子出産前後に仕事を辞めています. 政府は、第一子出産前後の女性の継続就業率を、2017年に55％まで引き上げることを目標として掲げており、子どもを産んでも仕事を続けることができる環境整備を進めることが大きな課題になっています. 男性の子育て時間が少ないことも、女性の負担を大きくしています. 育児休業は男性も取得できますが、取得率はわずか1.23％にすぎません（「平成20年度雇用均等基本調査」）. また、男性が家事や子育てに費やす時間は平均で1日1時間程度. そのうち子育て時間は30分程度です. 子育ては父親と母親の共同作業です. 母親だけでなく、父親がもっと子育てにかかわる時間を増やすことで、母親に集中しがちな子育ての負担を軽くし、男女とも仕事と家庭の両立が図られやすくなります. こうした実情を踏まえ、今回の改正育児・介護休業法では、男性も女性も、仕事を続けながら子育てや介護ができる環境づくりを目指して、次のようなポイントで改正が行われました. それぞれのポイントに沿って、改正の内容を説明します.
 * 1) 子育て期間中の働き方の見直し
 * 2) 父親も子育てができる働き方の実現
 * 3) 仕事と介護の両立支援
 * 4) 実効性の確保

子育て期間中の働き方を見直し、仕事を続けやすい制度を導入
働く女性の育児休業取得率は約9割となっていますが、育児休業を取らずに仕事を辞めてしまう女性も少なくありません. 離職の大きな理由は「仕事と子育ての両立が難しい」ということです. 育児休業を取得し、出産後も仕事を続けるつもりでいても、「子どもの病気でたびたび休まざるを得ない」「保育所に子どもを預かってもらうのに勤務時間が合わない」「職場に両立を支援する雰囲気がない」「体力がもたない」など、育児休業後に職場に復帰してからの働き方が課題になっています. 育児休業を取得した後は、保育所などに子どもを預けて働くことになりますが、この時期は、保育所の送り迎えのために早く帰らなくてはならなかったり、子どもの病気で早退したり仕事を休んだりしなければならなかったりと、子育ての負担も大きい時期です. フルタイムの勤務では、時間的にも体力的にも、子育てと仕事の両立に難しさを感じる人が多いようです. そこで、子育て中も仕事を続けやすい環境を整備するため、改正育児・介護休業法では次のような点が変わります.

1.子育て期の短時間勤務制度の義務化
事業主には、3歳未満の子どもを養育する労働者に対する「短時間勤務制度（1日原則6時間）」を措置することが義務づけられます. これは、労働者の身分を保ったまま、1日の勤務時間を短縮するもので、この制度を利用することによって、労働者は子育て期間中もキャリアを中断することなく、働き続けることができます.

2.子育て期の所定外労働の免除の義務化
事業主には、3歳未満の子どもを養育する労働者が希望した場合に、所定外労働（残業）を免除することが義務づけられます. 残業や休日出勤などが免除されることで、労働者が健康を保ちながら、家庭で育児をする時間を確保することができます.

3.子の看護休暇の拡充
子どもの数が多いほど、子どもの病気で休むニーズは高まります. 小学校就学前の子どもの看護のために取得できる「子の看護休暇」は、これまで子どもの人数にかかわらず、一律で「年5日まで」でしたが、小学校就学前の子どもが1人であれば年5日、2人以上いる場合は「年10日まで」取得できるようになります. また、子に予防接種や健康診断を受けさせる目的でも、看護休暇が取得できるようになります.

父親も子育てができる働き方を実現するため、男性の育児休業を取得しやすく
男性の約3割は育児休業を取得したいという希望を持っていますが、実際の取得率は1.23％にとどまっています. 男性が子育てや家事に費やす時間も先進国中最低の水準です. 男性が子育てや家事にあまりかかわっていないことが、女性の家事や子育ての負担を重くし、継続就業を困難にするとともに、少子化の原因にもなっています. そこで、今回の改正では、父親も子育てができる働き方の実現を目指し、父親も育児休業を取得しやすい制度に改正されました.

1.「パパ・ママ育休プラス」の創設
父親と母親が取得できる育児休業はそれぞれ1年間（母親の場合、産後休業期間と育児休業期間を合わせて1年間）で、取得できる期間は「子が1歳に達するまで」となっています. 「パパ・ママ育休プラス」は、母親と父親がともに育児休業を取得する場合、取得できる期間を「子どもが1歳2か月に達するまで」に延長する制度です. 例えば、母親の育児休業が終わるころに父親が育児休業を取得すれば、母親が職場復帰して大変な時期に、父親が子育てし、母親の負担を軽くすることができます.

2.父親が子の出生後8週間以内に育児休業を取得した場合、2度目の育児休業も取得可能
これまでは、一度育児休業を取得すると、特別な事情がないかぎり、2回目の育児休業を取得することはできませんでした. 今回の改正により、子の出生後8週間以内の期間内に父親が育児休業を取得した場合は、特別な事情がなくても、2回目の育児休業を取得することができるようになります. これによって、特に産後8週間以内の育児休業を安心して取得することができます.

3.労使協定による専業主婦（夫）除外の規定の廃止
これまでは、配偶者が専業主婦（夫）であったり、育児休業中であったりした場合、労使協定によって労働者本人からの育児休業申請を拒める制度がありました. 改正によってこれが廃止され、すべての父親が必要に応じて育児休業を取得できるようになります. また、これらの改正に合わせて、育児休業給付についても所要の改正が行われ、「パパ・ママ育休プラス」により延長された期間も含め、育児休業期間中は、雇用保険の「育児休業給付金」として、育児休業開始時賃金月額の50％が支給されます.

仕事と介護の両立支援のため「介護休暇」を新設
家族の介護を行う労働者は、事業主に申し出ることにより、両親や配偶者などの対象家族が要介護状態になったとき、対象家族一人につき、要介護状態に至るごとに1回、通算93日までの介護休業を取得できることになっています. また、働きながら介護をすることができるよう、本人の申し出によって、短時間勤務制度やフレックスタイム制、始業・終業時刻の繰上げ・繰下げなどの措置が受けられるようになっています（介護休業と合わせて93日まで）. こうした制度はあるものの、介護期間は場合によっては長期にわたるため、要介護者を日常的に介護する期間に、年休や欠勤などで対応している人も多いのが実情です. また、家族の介護・看護のために離職や転職をしている人も多く、5年間で約50万人にも上っています. そこで、今回の改正では、従来の介護休業に加え、介護のための短期の休暇制度が創設されました. これにより、要介護の家族の通院の付き添いなどに対応するため、年5日（対象者が2人以上の場合は年10日）の休暇を取得することができるようになります.

実効性を確保するための仕組みを創設
法制度が充実しても、これを安心して使える仕組みがなければ意味がありません. もとより、事業主は、労働者が育児休業や介護休業などを取得できるよう、育児・介護休業法を遵守しなければなりませんが、法の実効性を確保するため、今回の改正によって、育児休業が取得できないなどのトラブルが発生したときに、都道府県労働局長が紛争解決を援助したり、調停委員によって調停を行ったりする仕組みが創設されました. また、法を遵守していない事業主に対しては、これまで、法違反に対する制裁措置がありませんでしたが、改正後は、法違反に対する国の是正勧告に従わない場合は企業名が公表される仕組みのほか、国からの就業規則などの求めに対して虚偽の報告をした、または報告をしない事業主に対する過料（行政上の義務違反に対する制裁の一つとして金銭を徴収すること）の制度が設けられます.

改正法の施行日
これらの法改正は、一部を除いて平成22年6月30日から施行されます. ただし、常時100人以下の労働者を雇用する事業主については、子育て期の短時間勤務制度・所定外労働の免除の義務化および介護休暇制度の創設は、平成24年7月1日から施行されます.

イクメンプロジェクト～男性の育児休業取得を応援！
今、子育てを積極的に楽しむパパが、「イクメン」と呼ばれ注目されています. 平成22年6月の父の日に先立ち、「イクメン」をより多くの人に周知し、男性の育休取得・育児参加を推進するための広報事業として、6月17日に[|「イクメンプロジェクト」]がスタートしました. このプロジェクトは、イクメン候補となる、子を持つまたは持ちたい男性だけではなく、その妻や、労働組合・企業の人事担当者、ＮＰＯ、地方自治体なども巻き込んだ「参加型」のプロジェクトです. 男性が育児をすることについての社会的気運を高め、育児休業を取りたい、育児にもっとかかわりたい、という男性の希望をかなえるとともに、遅れている男性の育児参加を進め、夫婦で協力して子育てをする環境を作ることで、出生率の向上と女性の就業率向上を目指します. [|プロジェクトのホームページ]では、男性がイクメン宣言をするコーナーや、イクメンを応援する個人、企業や団体等がサポーター宣言をするコーナーなどを設け、こうした宣言の内容が見られるようになっています. このほか、シンポジウム等の開催などにより、多くの人を巻き込むことで、社会的な気運の醸成を図っていきます. さらに、ホームページでは「イクメン宣言」を行った方を対象に、「イクメンの星」を公募しています. これはイクメンプロジェクトを推進する「イクメンプロジェクト推進チーム」で選考を行い、毎月1名を「イクメンの星」としてサイト上で紹介する仕組みです. 子育てにかかわってよかったことや苦労したことなどの体験談から、キラキラとした子育ての魅力を周囲にＰＲしていく「イクメンの星」をプロジェクトでは募集しています. 皆さんもぜひ一度、このホームページにアクセスしてみてください. 「イクメンプロジェクト」では、一人でも多くの方の参加をお待ちしています. ＜取材協力：厚生労働省　　文責：政府広報オンライン＞

[] 厚生労働省イクメンプロジェクト

=[]= =EDITORIAL: Child-care leave law=

2010/07/05 Print Share Article "I'm going to be the first in our company to take child-care leave." "I'm going to fully enjoy my six months in child care." "I'm going to take a bath with my baby boy three or more days a week." These quotes are from the Ikumen Project website opened in June by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Ikumen is a coined word that is a combination of ikuji (child-rearing) and men, referring to fathers who actively take part in raising children. Such men are increasing--a trend that is good for children, families and society as a whole. The revised Child-care and Family-care Leave Law took effect June 30 to support the spread of men's participation in child care. The revised law has a new rule called a "dad and mom child-care leave plus system." Before the law was revised, the mother and father, who took child-care leave together, were allowed to do so until their baby was 1 year old. Under the new system, they can do so until the baby is 1 year and two months old. For example, immediately after the mother takes one year off, the father is allowed to take two months off to take care of the baby. There is another new rule. Before the law was revised, if the husband took paternity leave immediately after the wife gave birth, then he was not allowed to take leave again. But the revised law allows him to take another leave. The revised law also requires companies to set up a system whereby their employees with children 3 years old or younger can work shorter hours. Japan's fertility rate in 2009 was 1.37. Indications are the declining birthrate will not improve anytime soon. However, according to the health ministry's survey in 2008, more couples had a second child if the husband spent more time on housekeeping and child-care chores when he was off. This was apparently because more couples want to have more children if the burden of child care on the wife is made lighter. However, no matter how many rights people have, and no matter how easy it becomes to take child-care leave, the system is just pretty words until people actually take the time off. According to a fiscal 2008 survey, about 90 percent of women took maternity leave, while only 1.23 percent of men did so. This was despite the fact that about 30 percent of men wanted to take paternity leave. The low figure implies men are afraid of putting an added burden on colleagues at work, or the office atmosphere does not allow such a request. The most important thing is to change the mentality of workplace managers. By creating a workplace that helps workers achieve an appropriate work-life balance so they feel satisfied with their jobs, business results will improve. Business executives need to think like this, and avoid pursuing short-term gains. The mayor of Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward and the mayor of Saku, Nagano Prefecture, set a good example by taking child-care leave. In reality, there is still no end of cases where employees are faced with unfair treatment over child-care leave, like even being fired for taking leave. There is also the issue of whether non-regular workers can actually take child-care leave. Nevertheless, as the fact that the word ikumen itself is gaining currency signifies, Japanese society is changing its attitude. It is our hope that the revised law will further promote the change in this direction. --The Asahi Shimbun, July 3

[] In January, Japanese Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa visited the city of Matsue to talk to party members about the falling birth rate. Arresting the decline would be difficult, he said, because "the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed". "All we can ask for is for them to do their best per head," he said. Mr Yanagisawa's comments did not go down well. Women reacted angrily to his choice of words, while the opposition accused him of blaming women for the fertility crisis. But the episode did highlight one thing. Government measures aimed at boosting fertility have so far failed to deliver the desired rise. So what exactly is behind Japan's low birth rate? Across the developed world, as a general trend, women are working more and marrying later. But compare Japan with Sweden, for example. More Swedish women work and they marry later, yet the country's birth rate is far healthier. So Japan's troubles cannot be attributed to these two factors alone. In Japan, people flagged up three separate issues as obstacles to child-rearing - money worries, the problems of working and having a family, and a lack of support for mothers. "Everyone has the impression that raising a child is very expensive," one Tokyo student said. But many young couples do not have much money. Pay is often linked to age, while a disproportionate number of young people and women are employed on poorly-paid temporary contracts. Child allowances are low, while housing and education costs are high. The financial situation for young couples can be even harder because many women give up work when they have children - sometimes reluctantly. [|In pictures] || Some workplaces are unwilling to keep jobs open for mothers-to-be, who can come under both direct and indirect pressure to leave. In small and medium-sized firms, says Dr Kuniko Inoguchi, former minister for gender equality and social affairs, around 70% of pregnant women end up quitting. For those women who do return to work, things can be hard. Many struggle to find affordable child care facilities that can keep infants all day. Others discover that although they have jobs, they bear no resemblance to the ones they left and promotion is no longer a possibility. "Many women want to work and have kids," said Mitsuko Kamaya, a housewife. "But it's still the case that it is either work or kids. Women feel that they have to throw one dream or the other away," she said. "If there was a system that guaranteed women could get back to work, I think more would feel secure enough to have kids." Then there are the practicalities of raising children. "Families used to live with all the generations together," said one Tokyo pensioner. "That was good for everybody, as there were more people around to provide support." Tokyo businessman || In rural areas where this is still common, birth rates are above the national average. But many young couples live in cramped city apartments far from relatives and when babies are born, husbands tend not to compensate for the lack of family assistance. According to a lifestyle survey in 2001, married men only spent about 30 minutes each day on household tasks or with their children. This is partly down to traditional attitudes - Japanese men tend not to cook, clean or change nappies. But another problem is a culture of long working hours, followed by compulsory after-work socialising. "My colleague's wife has just had a baby, but he has to work until 11 o'clock every night," said one Tokyo businessman. "He only ever sees the baby when it's asleep." So child-rearing can, in some cases, prove a lonely and exhausting solo experience for mothers, many of whom then decide to stick with just one child. Osaka City has the second lowest birth rate in the country, behind the capital, Tokyo. In 2005 it stood at 1.15 births per woman, well below the national average of 1.26. In recent years, officials there have worked hard to introduce family-friendly policies. There are now more day care places available for children of working mothers and the facilities are staying open longer each day. Primary schools are running after-school programmes for children whose parents both work, while stay-at-home mothers can now use a pay-per-hour baby-sitting service when they need some time to themselves. But the birth rate is not rebounding. "We can try to publicise the idea that having a child is a good experience, and work to create an environment in which women feel secure enough to have one," said Yasuko Baba of the city's Children and Youth Bureau. "But we can't say 'please have a child'. Ultimately it is up to them." Dr Inoguchi says the government needs to spend more on helping young families. But she says there also needs to be social change so that both men and women have a better balance between work and family. And the population crisis is helping to highlight where the problems lie. "This very dramatic changing demography and the alarming view that we may not be able to sustain the greying of the population is now leading to - belatedly and reluctantly - the mainstreaming of gender issues," she said.
 * Gender issues key to low birth rate ||
 * **In the second of a series on Japan's population crisis, the BBC's Philippa Fogarty looks at the reasons behind the country's low birth rate.** || [[image:http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44242000/jpg/_44242875_satoeandbaby2032.jpg width="203" height="203" caption="Young Japanese mother and her baby"]]Fewer Japanese women are choosing to have children ||
 * 'Work or kids'**
 * [[image:http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44252000/gif/_44252106_jap_birthrate_gr203.gif width="203" height="197" caption="Graphic of Japan's birth rate"]] ||
 * [[image:http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif width="5" height="1"]] || [[image:http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/asia_pac_low_birth_rate/img/laun.jpg width="203" link="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/asia_pac_low_birth_rate/html/1.stm"]]Japanese people give their views on the low birth rate[[image:http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif width="203" height="1"]]
 * Hard work**
 * [[image:http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif width="5" height="1"]] || [[image:http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif width="24" height="13"]] **My colleague's wife has just had a baby, but he has to work until 2300 every night, he only ever sees the baby when it's asleep** [[image:http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif width="23" height="13" align="right"]]
 * Social change**

[] March 18, 2010, 8:18 p.m. EDT · [|Recommend] (3) · Post: =Japan's low birth rate poses demographic dilemma=

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[Products|Household Products] [|Japan] [|PIGEON CORP] [|Quotes] [|Comments Screener (32)] [|Alert] [|Email] [|Print] Share By Lisa Twaronite, MarketWatch TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Tokyo doesn't have an official one-child policy like the one the Chinese government has tried to implement, but you'd never guess that by looking at the average family size here in the capital. In 2008, the latest year for which data are available from the Ministry of Labor, Health and Welfare, Tokyo had the nation's lowest birthrate, at 1.09 children per woman. The high cost of living, long working hours and scarce day-care in the capital help explain why elementary schools in some central Tokyo neighborhoods are shuttered and awaiting redevelopment, their playgrounds quiet, with only the occasional passing waterfowl visible in their algae-slicked swimming pools. Elsewhere in the world's second-largest economy, the situation is similarly worrying. The national birthrate in 2008 was 1.37 children per woman -- up from a record low of 1.26 in 2005, but still nowhere near what the country needs to replenish its population. If current trends continue, Japan's population will fall to 95 million by 2050, from about 127 million now. And the good news about rising average life spans here is bad news for demographic planning, as few workers support more and more older folks. Japan's average life expectancy at birth was the highest in the world in 2008, at 86.05 years for women and 79.29 years for men, government data show. But the ratio of the dependent population -- the sum of the elderly and young population, divided by the working-age population -- was 55.2% in 2008, according to the Statistics Bureau. The proportion of elderly in the total population has remained above that of the younger age group since 1997.

Cash allowances for kids
The Democratic Party of Japan was swept into power last August on a platform that vowed to shift the government's focus to boosting domestic demand, while postponing a hike in the country's 5% consumption tax -- despite Japan's burgeoning public debt. Under targets based on his governments' "Vision on Children and Child-Rearing," Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama vowed in January to "work to enhance the provision of childcare services by eliminating day-care waiting lists and integrating the kindergarten and nursery school systems, and will increase access to afterschool childcare services as part of our efforts to create an environment in which the burden on families raising children is shared by society as a whole." The DPJ's plan includes paying cash allowances of more than $3,000 per child to families, with monthly payments for children under high school age to help defray child-rearing costs. Japan's lower house of parliament passed the child allowance bill Tuesday, and it is widely expected to clear in the upper house -- where the DPJ holds a majority -- before the end of this month. But some say the policy is aimed less at propping up the country's sagging birth rate and more at giving anemic consumption an immediate shot in the arm. "I view child allowance as a tax break for people aged 35," said Hajime Kitano, chief Japanese equity strategist at J.P. Morgan in Japan. Japanese people born in 1975 graduated from university and became full-fledged members of society in 1997 -- the year that Yamaichi Securities went under, he said. Yamaichi had been one of Japan's top four brokerages, and its failure is considered an iconic marker of the era known as the "lost decade." In the late 1990s, "people started to talk of an employment ice age" for young people at that time, according to Kitano's research report, released Thursday. "It was on this 'lost generation' that the 'lost decade's' negative effects were strongest." This lost generation, he said, is now reaching the 35-44 peak age range for consumption. "Although child allowance appears on the surface to be about children, upon closer examination it seems more like assistance for this generation," Kitano said. Many Japanese companies are taking no chances that the government's policies will arrest the fall in the nation's birth rate, and are actively seeking to expand their market share aboard. Diversified baby-and-child-care-goods maker Pigeon Corp. ( [|JP:7956] ** 3,265 **, -65.00 ,  -1.95%  ) has had operations in China for over two decades, and last year it opened its second factory there. Pigeon's domestic market share in baby-care products is in the 70%-80% range for items such as baby bottles, nipples and detergent, Macquarie Securities' analyst Robert Burghart wrote in a recent report. "The China market -- with about 20 million births annually -- has obvious appeal to Pigeon," he said. Lisa Twaronite is MarketWatch's Tokyo bureau chief.

=[]= =Features=

Paternity leave helps men relish joy of parenting
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan will take another step to reverse its declining birthrate June 30, as a law revision extending parental leave takes effect with the hopes of encouraging fathers to play a larger role in raising children. Leave will be extended to 14 months if both parents share it, instead of the current 12 months allowed for either parent. The revised Law for Childcare and Family Care Leave will also enable a father who has taken time off from work during the first eight weeks after his child's birth to take leave for a second time. While some say there is still a long way to go with policies, many men are using the time available to become confident in their childrearing skills. Many corporations have devised systems more generous for their employees with young children so that they can meet the new requirements. One day at 6:30 p.m., Motomasa Oshima, 35, opened the door of a day care center in Tokyo, calling out to his 20-month-old son, "Hey, have you been a good boy today?" A toddler named Mikimasa came running for his father with a beaming smile. This is the moment when his fatigue from a day's work vanishes, Oshima says. In May last year, Oshima took one month's paternity leave after his wife, Tokiko, 31, went back to work following the end of her own leave. During his paternity leave, Oshima learned to cook and worked out a minute-by-minute, daily timetable for him and his wife to be followed after he resumes work. On an "early shift," one of them will go to work early and head for the day care center in the evening. On the "late shift," he or she will take the boy to the day care center in the morning and will have the evening free. With mother and father taking turns with the paternal leave, the couple became able to handle both their jobs and childrearing. The Oshimas work for group firms of Kirin Holdings Co., which presides over Japan's major beer and other beverage producers. Oshima says he took paternity leave because "I wanted my wife to concentrate on her job while she regains the hang of things once she got back to work." Tokiko says she was at first at her wits' end, wondering how she was going to manage all the things she needed to do to look after her baby and do housework besides keeping her job. After muddling through the birth of her first child with the help of her husband, she now says, "I want at least two more kids." Unlike the old law, the new regulations will allow husbands to take leave regardless of whether their wives have a job or not. Manabu Tsukagoshi, a 34-year-old certified public accountant with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC, took two weeks' leave immediately after his first son Wataru was born and took another month off when the child was 9 months old. His wife, Naomi, 40, is a housewife. Still, he decided to take leave, saying, "The mother of a newborn baby is sleep-deprived and the baby learns to stand up by holding onto something nearby in about nine months, then it becomes impossible to take your eyes off him." "Many husbands have the gall to say, 'What's for dinner?' without noticing how frazzled their wives are," Tsukagoshi says. "Our family ties have strengthened thanks to my paternity leave." Atsushi Hayashi, 35, who works for major home product maker Kao Corp., took two weeks off as his boss encouraged him to do so. He says that his leave, albeit short, turned out to be something of an eye-opener. "I've acquired a new appreciation for the value of my company's products (such as diapers and detergent during my paternity leave)," he says. Under the revised law, companies will be required to let workers with children younger than 3 years old work shorter hours, or six hours per day, when requested. Kyowa Interface Science Co. already has a shorter work plan for employees with children and Yuko Kobayashi, 35, an employee of the Saitama Prefecture-based precision measuring equipment maker, says her company is parent-friendly. Still, she is always the one to take her 2-year-old son to his day care center and pick him up in the evening. While the law is changing, Kobayashi thinks that the law alone will not eliminate all the difficulties facing young parents. "It is unlikely that my husband, who is busy (working at another company), can take paternity leave that easily so I can't think about having another child for the moment," she says. Shigeki Matsuda, a senior researcher with Dai-ichi Life Research Institute Inc., argues that the revised law fails to address serious problems. "There is a major policy flaw in that the new law encourages fathers to take paternity leave although nothing has been done to reduce their long work hours," he says. "Men will also have to take a pay cut by taking paternity leave or working shorter hours and that's another reason why they cannot take time off." The amount of pay workers can get while on leave remains unchanged, or half the usual sum, under the revised law, he points out. Practices at various companies demonstrate pay is the key incentive that may or may not prompt workers to take paternity leave. Major chemicals maker Asahi Kasei Corp. says the number of men going on leave increased dramatically after it instituted a five-day paid paternity leave. Panasonic Corp. gives its employees a choice of whether to take parental leave and work shorter hours that comes with lower pay, or work at home without taking a pay cut. Many men have opted for working at home. Only 1.23 percent of men take paternity leave, according to a 2008 government survey. Government findings in 2005 showed that the percentage of women who continued to work after having their first child stood at 38 percent. (Mainichi Japan) June 25, 2010