Article by: anees

The biggest stigma left by Corona is that it may have an adverse effect on the population problem

[Father-in-law and daughter-in-law] A man and a woman got married, and the daughter-in-law will live with her husband's parents.

However, my mother-in-law died before long, and I lived with three people.

The mother-in-law who passed away was a kind person to the bride. However, my father-in-law had a stubborn and nasty personality. My father-in-law complained about his wife's actions.

My father-in-law says.

"What's this soup? It tastes completely different from what my grandmother made!"

Such days continued almost every day.

One day, the bride, who couldn't bear it, secretly mixed the pesticide with the soup she gave to her father-in-law.

Then my father-in-law, who sipped the soup, said:

"This is this taste! Grandma's soup!"

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The declining birthrate and aging population have been said in Japan for a long time. Excellent politicians and scholars should be discussing various things, but there is no sign of improvement at all.

It is said that this tendency will be further exacerbated by the Corona disaster. According to the Vital Statistics (approximate number) of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of births in 2020 was about 840,000 and the number of marriages was about 530,000, both of which were the lowest after the war.

This is probably the result of refraining from giving birth or getting married due to anxiety caused by Corona.

In Eastern Europe Romania, the Romanian Communist Party, led by Nicolae Ceausescu, once carried out a "prolific policy". "Women under the age of 45 must not have an abortion until they have four children," and violators were sentenced to six months to up to two years in prison. In addition, the use of contraceptives was banned.

What such a policy invited was a "rapid increase in abandoned children." The orphanage, full of children, suffered a serious food shortage.

Adult blood was transfused to compensate for malnutrition in children, but AIDS became widespread due to the reuse of needles.

I don't think Japan will end up like a science fiction novel, but population policy is difficult to adjust.

However, Japan is too afraid of failure, and it seems that there is no "full-throttle" policy.

Longevity is a good thing

Aging is also more serious in Japan.

The increase in the number of elderly people will greatly shake the social security system. The word "20 million yen problem in old age" has been talked about, but few people are convinced by the content of the "100-year pension relief" that the government has been actively saying.

After all, the biggest stigma left by the Corona sword may be a negative impact on population problems. Originally, the increase in life expectancy is a happy thing, and longevity should be a welcome event.

Recently, it seems that the sad word "runaway old man" has been born, but it certainly feels like there are more opportunities to see elderly people with rugged facial expressions. However, getting older is also a source of "laughter".

When I was writing this manuscript while thinking about such things in a small study, my wife called me. The supper is ready.

Now, let's say you drink the soup made by your wife.

Takashi Hayasaka (non-fiction writer, joke collector)