Population policy experts from Korea and Japan called for a significant expansion of fiscal spending on family policies at an international forum held to address low birth rates and aging populations.
The Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy hosted the 13th International Joint Forum on Population Strategy on Wednesday at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, alongside the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, and Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. The forum, themed "Korea-Japan Joint Population Strategy for Responding to Ultra-Low Fertility and Super-Aged Society," was organized to identify the structural similarities in the population crises facing both countries and explore solutions.
Kim Hyun-chul, director of the Yonsei University Institute for Population and Talent, introduced the "Big Push" theory in his keynote speech, advocating for a dramatic increase in family-related spending. "Big Push is a theory that calls for large-scale investment to simultaneously improve the entire social system," Kim said. "We must dramatically increase family-related spending as a share of GDP to effectively bring childcare costs to zero."
He emphasized the need for "comprehensive reform" that simultaneously pursues education reform to ease college entrance competition, elimination of labor market dualism, and reduction of concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Shiro Yamasaki, director-general of the Population Strategy Headquarters at Japan's Cabinet Secretariat, presented the "Acceleration Plan" being pursued by the Japanese government. The plan aims to invest approximately 3.6 trillion yen by 2028 to raise per-child family-related spending to the highest level among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries through strengthened universal family policies.
"Japan's population decline has become a national crisis where the vitality of society as a whole is rapidly falling into a vicious cycle of contraction," Yamasaki said. "The period until 2030 is effectively the last opportunity to reverse the low fertility trend."
Analysis was also presented suggesting that the gap between "ideals and reality" among young people is contributing to the ultra-low fertility phenomenon. Kim Eun-jung, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, said, "Labor market dualism and soaring housing costs are causing delayed and non-marriage." She identified key tasks including strengthening employment safety nets for non-regular and small business workers, significantly expanding housing support, and addressing career interruptions for women.
Joo Hyung-hwan, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, proposed that "Korea and Japan should share policy response experiences and data to jointly ensure the sustainability of social security, pensions, healthcare, and care services." He also suggested establishing joint research and investment platforms in industrial sectors such as Age-Tech.
The committee plans to actively incorporate the recommendations presented at the forum—including expanded fiscal investment related to low fertility and aging, education and labor reform with reduced concentration in the capital region, and strengthened Korea-Japan and Asian cooperation—into future population policy development and the operation of the Population Strategy Committee.
