Japan’s “Miracle Town”

Population Research Institute— Most of Japan has a fertility rate that is below replacement, but one “miracle town” is untouched by this issue. As of 2019, the mountain town of Nagi was averaging 2.95 children per woman. This fertility success can be attributed to actions that were taken twenty years ago. In 2004, the local government re-allocated funding for family-friendly policies. Since then, these benefits have only improved, continuing to naturally motivate parents to have larger families.

“What the article doesn’t say is that many of the mothers of three or four children are stay-at-home moms,” says Mr. Mosher, founder and head of Population Research Institute (pop.org). “A society that enables mothers to stay home with their children gets more of them.  While a society that pushes all women into the workforce gets fewer.”