ABSTRACT
The declining birthrate threatens Japan’s economic growth and the sustainability of various social-economic institutions. This notwithstanding, effective welfare and economic policies have not been implemented under the LDP government. In order to analyze this problem, this chapter focuses on Japan’s political economy, in particular, how young women are situated therein. This study points out that, in addition to the majority of the voters being aged, young people have little political consciousness and show low voter turnout compared to other generations. In addition, young women have difficulty to be united in their political objectives due to their different socio-economic status. This results in a situation where politicians have not paid political attention to the young. In order to make politicians conscious about the interests of the young and of future generations, the young need to positively participate in politics and increase their presence. This would contribute to push for government actions that, in the long run, improve the welfare of everyone in Japanese society.
