I'm sending a resume to Canon

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/26/canon.babies/index.html?genius

Workers urged: Go home and multiply

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Even before one reaches the front door of Canon's headquarters in Tokyo, one can sense the virtual stampede of employees pouring out of the building exactly at 5:30 p.m. Japan's birth rate of 1.34 is below the level needed to maintain the country's population. In a country where 12-hour workdays are common, the electronics giant has taken to letting its employees leave early twice a week for a rather unusual reason: to encourage them to have more babies. "Canon has a very strong birth planning program," says the company's spokesman Hiroshi Yoshinaga. "Sending workers home early to be with their families is a part of it." Japan in the midst of an unprecedented recession, so corporations are being asked to work toward fixing another major problem: the country's low birthrate. Tell us what you think At 1.34, the birthrate is well below the 2.0 needed to maintain Japan's population, according to the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Keidanren, Japan's largest business group, with 1,300 major international corporations as members, has issued a plea to its members to let workers go home early to spend time with their families and help Japan with its pressing social problem. Watch more on this story One reason for the low birth rate is the 12-hour workday. But there are several other factors compounding the problem -- among them, the high cost of living, and social rigidity toward women and parenting. In addition, Japan's population is aging at a faster pace than any other country in the world. Analysts say the world's second-largest economy faces its greatest threat from its own social problems, rather than outside forces. And the country desperately needs to make some fixes to its current social and work structures, sociologists say. Canon says its 5:30 p.m. lights-out program is one simple step toward helping address the population problem. It also has an added benefit: Amid the global economic downturn the company can slash overtime across the board twice a week. "It's great that we can go home early and not feel ashamed," said employee Miwa Iwasaki.

It's better than screwing around at work.

New Canon slogan:

If you're hard at work, go home.

Wally wrote: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/26/canon.babies/index.html?genius At 1.34, the birthrate is well below the 2.0 needed to maintain Japan's population, according to the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

so we need a minisry to tell us that 2 people having 2 kids would keep population level equal?

Actually, from what I understand 2 people need to have around 2.1 kids because not everyone born can/chooses to/lives long enough to reproduce.

So who wants to go a trip to Japan with me for "foreign aid?"

Maybe they just need to hold more of these.

World record attempt for largest Orgy, that is. Link is possibly NSFW, depending where you work.

They need to hire my cousin, he can't afford to feed one child right now yet has 5 and is about to pop out a 6th...and I think 3 different mothers. Needless to say I gave him a box of condoms for Christmas.

I would love to go work in Japan for a few years, but I'd have to return home sometime!

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/xx.html

Just for a bit o' background info, this includes a LOT of info about birthrates. Apparently the UN predicts the WORLDS population will peak at 9 billion around 2050.

Now, mabye I don't quite get it, but why is it sooo important to have more then enough workers? Is it the whole "We have to always earn more money then we did previously" thing? Therefore you need more workers?

HiTempguy wrote: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/xx.html Just for a bit o' background info, this includes a LOT of info about birthrates. Apparently the UN predicts the WORLDS population will peak at 9 billion around 2050. Now, mabye I don't quite get it, but why is it sooo important to have more then enough workers? Is it the whole "We have to always earn more money then we did previously" thing? Therefore you need more workers?

Because the workers are the ones paying the taxes to give everyone else their benefits. The fewer workers you have the more they will have to pay to take care of everyone else.

What is so bad about the population decreasing a little bit? It seems like there are alot of problems that people are concerned about that would easily be solved by there not being quite so many people.

employee Miwa Iwasaki. said: "It's great that we can go home early and not feel ashamed,"

If that was why I was going home, I wouldn't be a shamed, I would be bragging.

Travis_K wrote: What is so bad about the population decreasing a little bit? It seems like there are alot of problems that people are concerned about that would easily be solved by there not being quite so many people.

The problem is that programs like Social Security and Medicare (and their equivalents overseas) rely on increasing population in order to maintain funding levels. If the population drops, you either have to cut benefits, raise taxes, or (most likely) both.

Wally wrote: In addition, Japan's population is aging at a faster pace than any other country in the world.

It's true. The average Japanese man ages 1.45 years every year. It's a mystery that nobody can explain at the present: but a man born on February 1, 1980 in Japan will already be 42 by next Sunday.

Awrighty then...... did you take a good look at that video cover?

Who's the big white guy in the back?

stumpmj wrote:

Travis_K wrote: What is so bad about the population decreasing a little bit? It seems like there are alot of problems that people are concerned about that would easily be solved by there not being quite so many people.

The problem is that programs like Social Security and Medicare (and their equivalents overseas) rely on increasing population in order to maintain funding levels. If the population drops, you either have to cut benefits, raise taxes, or (most likely) both.

Or (in other words) the Ponzi Scheme stops working when "investors" stop paying

^^ Yup.

Poopy, I have never been so proud to say I share the intarwebbb with you.

That is effing brilliant.

It really goes a little deeper than entitlement programs like social security and medicare. The root cause driving the need for growth is our monetary policy. I say our (meaning US) because the US dollar is the reserve currency for the world. Since every dollar in existance was loaned into being, every dollar represents a debt. Debts have to be repaid with interest, thus to keep the whole scheme going an exponentially increasing supply of dollars is required (ie- TARP, and other bailouts). Without an exponentially growing population this gets difficult, so governments want more and more people.

Dude, I wish. In the process of trying to find a way to work over there....lets' just say I had a blast on the Tokyo Auto Salon...and oh man...quite the eventful flight there and a new found love of japanese girls.