The East Asian Fertility Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Responses

This research paper explores the perceived East Asian fertility crisis in China, Japan, and South Korea. This paper establishes the need for the specific case study of these three nation’s unique demographic crises that individually, uniquely challenge existing demographic theories. First, I provide information on relevant demographic theories. I trace the history of each country’s different perceived crises and key policy efforts that attempt to channel fertility behavior in socially desirable directions, thus illustrating that these historic antinatalist policies reflect a wider government strategy to affect reproductive choices of citizens towards national economic and political agendas. Regardless of the policies’ successes, implementation created unintended demographic, social, and economic consequences, which are still observed in the present fertility crisis. Then, I analyze a combination of recent government-instituted fertility policies and civil society-based movements to show that these countries have underlying cultural factors that contribute to the continued failure of pronatalist policies to raise fertility. Lastly, I present an argument for future culturally sensitive policies to combat declining fertility in China, Japan, and South Korea. I specifically name gender equality and female empowerment as a culturally-sensitive policy approach, and present evidence of this approach in Germany. Important terminology is defined in footnotes throughout the paper and information supplemental to the understanding of the fertility crisis is listed in the appendix.