Japan is in the middle of a social crisis unlike any other country in the world.
One in four people in Japan are over the age of 65. It's predicted by analysts that by 2060, Japan's population will have decreased by 30% because of the falling birth-rates amongst Japanese men and women. It's become a cultural trend in Japan for women to work more hours and become focused on the career, whilst men find comfort in videogames and... eh, pillows. No, really.
In short, Japanese people just aren't having sex. And if they are, they're not having kids.
While we might titter at the fact that Japanese people aren't having sex, it's beginning to have a real effect on the Japanese and global economy. If Japan doesn't increase its birth-rate in the next thirty years, the country could collapse in on itself.
Although the reasons for Japanese aversion to physical sex are deep-rooted, a leading economist has come up with an ingenious way to get people going.
Tax handsome men.
According to Moringa Takuro, the Japanese version of David McWilliams, taxing handsome men will lower the field for less-attractive men and allow them to find love.
"If we impose a handsome tax on men who look good to correct the injustice only slightly, then it will become easier for ugly men to find love, and the number of people getting married will increase," Takuro explained.
Right. Got it.
Already, the Japanese government is putting together tax incentives and bursaries for couples who will have children by a certain age, although the problem seems far more endemic than people realise.
Via ZeroHedge.com
