Japan has no future !?

In Japan, it's said that the total cost of raising a child from birth to university graduation is ten to twenty million Yen (one to two hundred thousand US dollars, 1USD= 100 JPY. For the sake of simplicity, I use this rate). These days, it's not easy for 35-year-olds to earn five million Yen yearly even if they work full time (This is before taxes and insurances deductions.) , so the cost is too expensive. 

Compulsory education in Japan consists of six years in elementary school and three years in junior high school. If you go to public schools, you don't have to pay tuition, although you have to pay some monthly fees and deal with back-to-school shopping needs. As for public high schools, the tuition finally became free of charge this April because of a policy established by the new government that took power a year ago. However, the tuition at public universities remains high. The tuition started increasing sharply about twenty years ago and reached the current level about ten years ago. Even if you can enroll in a public university, you will have to pay about eight hundred thousand Yen for the first year, as the cost of the first year is higher than those of other years.

When I was a public university student many years ago, the tuition was not that high, and the Japanese economy was not that bad. Therefore, it was not difficult for "public" university students to earn money for tuition with part-time jobs. In addition, many parents could afford to pay the tuition. In contrast, these days, many university students are forced to take out low-interest student loans due to high tuition costs and the bad economy. To make matters worse, interest-free student loans were abolished a few years ago. According to the news, about 40% students now take out loans, and many graduates are struggling to pay off their loans since they have difficulty getting a stable job (They are required to start paying off their loans as soon as they graduate).

I've heard that many students who enrolled in the University of Tokyo this April are from relatively affluent families. Many of the students are graduates of prestigious private junior high and high schools. Almost all of them have had the experience of going to expensive cram schools. Due to this reality, bright or gifted children from families that are struggling financially are unlikely to have the opportunity to cultivate their talents.  

The declining birthrate is a serious social problem. We do know that we have to improve the situation, but those circumstances are discouraging us from having a child or from having more children.