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Meiji Yasuda survey finds 28.2% of parents want a second child

Meiji Yasuda Life found that 28.2% of surveyed Japanese parents with one young child wanted a second child. The insurer said financial concerns were the main reason parents who did not want another child gave, while almost 70% said better economic conditions could change their minds.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 independent reports from 3 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 2 reportsHow it's made

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3 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 2 · R 0 · 1 unrated
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What happened

Key facts

  • The survey found that 28.2% of Japanese parents with one child wanted a second child (per The Japan Times, newsonjapan.com, ua.news).
  • The surveyed parents had one child aged 0 to 6, and the survey was conducted in September (per The Japan Times).
  • The share of parents wanting a second child was almost 57% lower than in 2020 (per The Japan Times).
  • Almost 70% of parents said they would reconsider having a second child under better economic circumstances (per The Japan Times).
  • Meiji Yasuda Life said the average monthly cost of raising children was around ¥43,000 ($271), a record high (per The Japan Times).
  • Economist Kazutaka Maeda said there was a gap between parents’ aspirations and their circumstances (per The Japan Times).

The brief

Meiji Yasuda Life found that 28.2% of surveyed parents in Japan wanted a second child, as financial concerns featured prominently among those who did not. The insurer’s survey, published on Monday, found the share wanting another child had fallen almost 57% compared with 2020. The company surveyed couples with one child aged 0 to 6 in September.

Among respondents who said they did not want a second child, 54.5% cited worries about their future income. That share was 9% higher than in the same study the previous year, according to The Japan Times. The survey also asked whether better economic circumstances might change parents’ decisions. Almost 70% said they would reconsider having another child if conditions improved.

The result indicates that many respondents who currently do not want a second child did not rule out changing their minds under different financial circumstances. Meiji Yasuda Life calculated that the average monthly cost of raising children had reached around ¥43,000 ($271), which it described as a record high.

The Japan Times reported that parents’ concerns about future income were the most frequently cited reason among respondents who did not want another child. Economist Kazutaka Maeda described a gap between parents’ aspirations and their circumstances.

He said families’ financial situations, rather than a lack of desire for another child, were limiting family size, according to The Japan Times.

The survey’s findings come alongside a broader demographic indicator cited by The Japan Times: the latest health ministry data showed births in Japan had reached a new low that year, although the decline was slightly less severe than in previous years. The survey itself concerns parents with one young child, rather than all households in Japan.

Meiji Yasuda Life’s results connect respondents’ stated decisions with the financial considerations they reported: future income concerns, the cost of raising children, and the possibility of reconsidering a second child if economic circumstances improve. The survey does not report whether those respondents later changed their plans.

Why it matters

  • Among surveyed parents who did not want another child, 54.5% cited future-income concerns, a financial mechanism linked to decisions about family size.
  • Meiji Yasuda Life put average monthly child-raising costs at around ¥43,000 ($271), a record high according to the insurer.
  • Almost 70% of respondents said better economic circumstances could lead them to reconsider having a second child.

What to watch next

  • Whether Meiji Yasuda Life conducts another survey using the same measure of parents’ plans for a second child.
  • Whether the share citing future-income concerns changes in a subsequent survey.
  • Whether the insurer’s reported monthly child-raising cost changes in a later calculation.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
3 source articles · 3 unique outlets · 2 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 2 Center · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: Europe 33% · Asia 33% · Other 34%
Outlet political mix
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Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
2 outlets
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Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
3 unique outletsDominant coverage: Europe
How we measure coverage

2 sources are from a wire service (AP, Reuters, AFP or Bloomberg), whose reporting other outlets often republish.

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Japan’s total fertility rate fell to 1.57, an event known as the “1.57 shock.”
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. The government’s first major response was the Angel Plan, adopted in December 1994, which set out measures including expanded childcare.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. Japan adopted the New Angel Plan, adding targets for childcare services and support for working parents.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. In 2005, Japan’s fertility rate reached 1.26, then its lowest recorded level.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. In 2020, Meiji Yasuda Life’s survey recorded a substantially higher share of parents with one young child saying they wanted a second child, providing a baseline for later comparisons.
    Background · from our historical context
  6. The Children and Families Agency opened on April 1, 2023, consolidating national responsibilities for child and family policy.
    Background · from our historical context
  7. On June 13, 2023, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s cabinet adopted the Children’s Future Strategy, which set out a plan to expand support for child-rearing and address the country’s declining birthrate.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

In 2020, Meiji Yasuda Life’s survey recorded a substantially higher share of parents with one young child saying they wanted a second child, providing a baseline for later comparisons. Japan’s broader fertility decline was underscored by the 1989 “1.57 shock,” when the total fertility rate fell to 1.57, below the previous postwar low.

The government’s first major response was the Angel Plan, adopted in December 1994, which set out measures including expanded childcare. The 1999 New Angel Plan added targets for childcare services and support for balancing work and parenting. In 2005, Japan’s fertility rate reached 1.26, then its lowest recorded level.

Original sources

1 of 3 articles · Europe · Show all

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