Newscasts - As Japan's birthrate drops, runner freezes her eggs
05/06/2024 14:36
Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_fzm1d8h6&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2024:newsml_RW826705062024RP1_K15&pageId=Newscasts Source: 'Reuters - General news videos' Description: Japanese champion runner Tomomi Bitoh froze her eggs after a 106-mile race, hoping to keep alive her dream of becoming a mother. She is one of a growing number of Japanese women joining in a trend authorities in the world's most advanced aging society hope will stem further declines in the birthrate. Olivia Chan has more. Short Link: https://refini.tv/459cKug Video Transcript: Tomomi Bitoh is a 33-year-old Japanese champion ultra-marathon runner. She wants to be a mother one day, but not before she becomes the best runner in one of the world's toughest marathons. Last November, she went to a Tokyo clinic to begin freezing her eggs after a race, hoping to keep alive her dream of becoming a mother. I have this big dream of becoming number one in the world and I want to achieve that first. I don’t think that’s something I can do 10 or 20 years from now after having a child. It’s now or never, so I chose to freeze my eggs to stay focused. The runner is one of a growing number of Japanese women joining in a trend authorities hope will stem further declines in birthrate. Data from the health ministry on Wednesday shows the average number of children born to a Japanese woman fell to a fresh low of 1.20 in 2023. The figure marks an eighth successive year of decline. It is far below the 2.07 experts consider necessary to maintain a stable population. The country is also the world's most advanced ageing society. Japan says its demographic woes are a quiet national emergency that stifles growth and puts a heavy strain on its social security system. Last year authorities in the capital started offering subsidies of up to $1,900 to women aged between 18 and 39 to have their eggs frozen for future pregnancies. But so far, the signs are not encouraging. As many as 55% of single men and women in their late teens and 20s have no desire to ever have a child, an annual poll by Rohto Pharmaceutical showed in December. Yuka Okada is a gynaecologist at the Grace Sugiyama clinic. With regard to tackling the declining birth rate issue, if possible, I believe more married couples need to consider having two or three kids. With that said, I think it's best that married couples start planning for pregnancy and childbirth at younger age, with egg-freezing at a younger age as an option. Bitoh called for more public support for families who are bringing up children as well as a shift away from traditional views that burden women with domestic work