Yubari in northern Japan was once a busy coal mining town with a population of over 100,000. Today schools are closed, amusement parks are abandoned and the population is down by 90%. Surprisingly, this disturbing shift is the result of how modern Japanese think about sex and reproduction. This is not an isolated case. In fact, it symbolizes what is happening in the rest of the country. This documentary examines the reasons behind Japan’s historically low birth rate and how this worrying trend threatens the country’s future.
During the investigation, the filmmakers made a brief stop in Tokyo and discovered that even Japan’s most populous epicenter was not immune to the crisis. Although the city welcomes nearly 250,000 newborns each year, that number has steadily declined as the average age of new mothers continues to rise.
The film does an excellent job of detailing the implications of this multifaceted dilemma. A declining birth rate is catastrophic for the longevity of any country. The workforce and the economy are shrinking, industries are collapsing, and entire populations are eventually dying out. It sounds like a far-fetched post-apocalyptic scenario, but for Japan, it’s a highly likely fate.
This potentially massive catastrophe originates in the most intimate of settings. The new generation of Japanese men no longer have the ambitions of the past, marry and have children as before. Either they care too much about maintaining a tireless work ethic, or they prefer the low-stakes comfort of dating a virtual girlfriend through a role-playing game. At the same time, women have made amazing strides in the workplace. They worry that they won’t be able to balance the responsibilities of motherhood with the demands of their ever-growing careers. Even those hoping to have a family of their own can have a hard time finding like-minded applicants.
Please Don’t Make Love, We Are Japanese could have been a skit containing a series of exciting observations on modern sexual attitudes and culture. To its credit, however, this is a thoughtful sociological study with far-reaching implications for all of us.
Directed by: John Holdsworth
