Paragon Posted January 30, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Official: Women are 'birth-giving machines' Japan's health minister weighs in on country's plummeting birth rate Reuters Updated: 5:45 a.m. PT Jan 27, 2007 TOKYO - Japan’s health minister called women of child-bearing age “birth-giving machines” on Saturday, saying each should do her best to help boost the nation’s rock-bottom birth rate, Kyodo news agency reported. Japan’s aging and shrinking population has raised concerns about the country’s economic growth potential and the government’s ability to finance ballooning pension requirements. “The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is fixed. Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head, although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines,” Kyodo quoted Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa as telling local party members. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in September, has pledged to take steps to make it easier for people to juggle work and child-rearing. Japan’s fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, fell to a record low of 1.26 in 2005. Estimates show the fertility rate probably increased slightly in 2006 but it is expected to resume its decline this year. Japan’s population started shrinking in 2004, and already one-fifth of the population is 65 or older. Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16839596/ 'Birth giving machines' remark gives Japan PM a big headache TOKYO (Jan 29, 2007): First, his defence minister risks offending Japan's key ally, the United States, by calling the start of the Iraq war a "mistake". Then, his health minister sparks a domestic fuss by calling women "birth-giving machines". Gaffes by cabinet ministers are giving Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a political headache when his support ratings are already slipping due to doubts about his leadership ability - hardly cheering ahead of an upper house election in July. "I want to make clear that our cabinet is not allowing people to just say what they want," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference today in which he was bombarded with questions about the comments by the two ministers. Abe came under fire when he took office in September for creating a "crony cabinet" of lawmakers who had supported his bid to become prime minister. Now, some critics say his choices are coming back to haunt him. "These people are not media savvy. They are feudal warlords who voice their frank opinions," said Jesper Koll, chief economist at Merrill Lynch in Tokyo. "He put them in the cabinet ... and now he's stuck with them." Abe told parliament he had given a strong warning to Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa about his "inappropriate" phrase, and Yanagisawa himself apologised for "hurting women's feelings". Yanagisawa, 71, had been speaking to local lawmakers about Japan's rock-bottom birth rate, which has raised concerns about economic growth and the ability to fund ballooning pension costs. "Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head, although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines," Kyodo quoted Yanagisawa as saying Continue reading other equally contraversal in here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Che -Guevara Posted January 30, 2007 "Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head, although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines," Kyodo quoted Yanagisawa as saying. LooooooooL.....Since da Japs import all raw materials. Perhaps they can import these "birth giving machines" as well Feel sorry for the PM, and doesn't help the fact he is childless too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paragon Posted January 30, 2007 ^^Waryaa stop making fun of the situation. There is real decline of child birth in Japan. This is the problem with becoming technologically advanced and over-dependent on it; soon you start seeing fellow human beings as 'birth-giving machines and devices'! It is a matter that awaits all those who aspire to technological development such as that achieved by Japan. With an altered psyche, the view of things and the assessment of human relations becomes overly mechanistic - we might even live to hear Japanese ministers calling men: 'birth-inducing-male robots' . All is possible my man, all is possible indeed! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Che -Guevara Posted January 30, 2007 birth-inducing-male robots' I thought these already exist. The generic term I believe is weekend dads. N I wasn't making fun yaa Paragon. The Japs and many Euro nations have no option, but to open their doors to less technologically advanced nations. I mean they can't go to china or India, there is already female deficit there. They can perhaps abduct few N Koreans or entice some Filipinos, but ultimately they gotta import them from Africa and Latin America. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-Lily- Posted January 30, 2007 What a dog, he should be sentenced to a lifetime of sperm donation instead of referring to adolscend girls as machines. I hear there are two men for every woman in Japan. They can always visit China... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strawberry_Xu Posted January 31, 2007 ^^^ I guess there's no excuse for polygamy then Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shakti Posted January 31, 2007 loooooooooool@ Yanagisawa.. the old man needs 2 retire.. i had no idea Japanese officials speak in such unreservedly manner.. 4 some reason all the indhoo-yaar ppl come of as robots 2 me I guess he proved me wrong in most ironic way Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paragon Posted January 31, 2007 Originally posted by -Lily-: What a dog, he should be sentenced to a lifetime of sperm donation instead of referring to adolscend girls as machines. I hear there are two men for every woman in Japan. They can always visit China... He might just enjoy it, Lily Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
