by Michael Cibenko

Created on: May 31, 2008   Last Updated: March 10, 2009

On November 25, 1970, the famous and eccentric Japanese poet and playwright, Yukio Mishima, directed and starred in what was arguably his most dramatic role that of his own death. After seizing control of a defense force compound and taking a high-ranking military official hostage, Mishima commited "seppeku," ritual suicide in the manner of the ancient samurai. The causes that brought Mishima to this bold and violent end were as complex as the man himself, but it was, at least in part, a protest against what he perceived to be the corruption of Japanese culture by Western influences. In short, he felt that Japan had lost her soul.

Though his life was intriguing and his literary contributions many, this paper is not about Mishima, but rather about the question of whether Japan has indeed been adversely affected by so-called Western influences. Because no one essay could possibly cover the enormous breadth and depth of Japan's history and culture, nor even the complexities of her interaction with Western societies, this paper will focus on one particular phenomenon that of Japan's rapidly declining birthrate. The problem of low birthrate is, of course, not an exclusively Japanese one. The United States and much of western Europe have also seen marked declines in birthrate over the past several decades. But it certainly can be argued that it is in Japan where the problem and its ramifications, both present and projected, are most evident. In this paper, based primarily on my observations and experiences during the four years I lived in Japan, I hope to convey examples that demonstrate the reality of Japan's low birthrate, its consequences, and some of the causes that may lie at the core of the issue.
For four years, from 1996 to 2000, I was employed as a teacher of English in Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan. During that time, I met and married a Japanese woman, and our first son was born there. I vividly recall going with my wife to the clinic to verify that she was indeed with child. After confirming that she was, the first thing the doctor asked us, in a rather matter-of-fact manner, was whether we wanted to keep the baby. I remember with equal clarity my offense to the question as, in my mind, there really was no question to be asked. A baby had been conceived and, in accordance with natural law, that child would be nurtured and brought into the world. To this day, I don't know whether the doctor's question was a matter of protocol within the Japanese

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