[Sangetsu]

Plainly put, the problem is selfishness. "Keeping up with the Joneses" is a popular concept in Japan, and in order to have the big home, nice clothes, and designer bags, one must forego having children. Nevermind the fact the fact that you can't take any of these material things with you when you die, and with no children there is no one to leave these things to.

In the old days there used to be a concept of "successive generations" where each generation worked to improve the quality of life for the generation that followed. The has been replaced by the "me" generation, which wants everything for itself, with no thought or care for anyone else. God forbid you have a child, you might not be able to afford a second car, or have a television in every room of your designer apartment.

Another big issue is responsibility. People nowadays have become increasingly neurotic about trivial things, and can't stand the thought of shouldering the responsibility of raising a child. People seem to forget that having children is the most natural of occurances, and human beings, like other animals, are far more adaptable to raising children than they are to adapting to otner things in modern life.

Think of all the things you have done and experienced in your life, if you don't have children, then you rob someone else of the chance to experience those things as well.