[Edaily Reporter Choi Oh-hyun ] The business communities of South Korea and Japan have launched a private-sector cooperative body to jointly address the issues of low birth rates and population decline. A survey of young people in both countries found that while the intention to marry and have children was higher in South Korea than in Japan, people in both countries cited stable employment and income as key conditions for marriage and childbearing.

On the 30th, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) officially launched the “Korea-Japan Exchange Committee on Addressing Low Birth Rates” at the Westin Hotel in Sendai, Japan, and held its first meeting, which also served as a symposium on addressing low birth rates.

The Exchange Committee was established as a private-sector cooperation channel in response to the fact that, following last year’s Korea-Japan summit, the governments of both countries began discussing common social issues such as low birth rates and an aging population. Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, serves as the Korean chair, while Ken Kobayashi, Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, serves as the Japanese chair. The meeting was attended by the co-chairs, as well as Kim Jin-oh, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Low Birth Rates and an Aging Society; Akio Mimura, Chairman of the “Choosing the Future” Council; and Hiroya Masuda, Co-Representative of the “Choosing the Future” Council; along with other figures from the business community and government of both countries.

At the meeting, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Productivity Center released the results of the “Korea-Japan Youth Attitudes Survey,” which surveyed a total of 4,000 young people aged 20 to 39—2,000 from each country—between June and July.

The survey results showed that Korean youth have a stronger intention to marry and have children than their Japanese counterparts. Among unmarried youth, 81.4% of Koreans indicated an intention to marry, which is 23.8 percentage points higher than Japan (57.6%). Conversely, 18.6% of Koreans said they “have no intention of ever getting married,” compared to 42.4% in Japan.

The percentage of respondents who wanted children was also higher in Korea (76.8%) than in Japan (50.5%). Among Korean young adults, 52.6% cited “two” as their ideal number of children. In Japan, the response “I do not want children” was the highest at 32.4%. A significant 28.9% said that two children would be ideal if they were to have any, and 12.2% said they would want three or more. In South Korea, the percentage of those wanting three or more children was only 7.3%.

Regarding the necessary conditions for marriage and childbirth, the perceptions of young people in both countries were similar yet showed some differences. As a condition for marriage, both South Korea and Japan ranked “stable employment and income for oneself and one’s spouse” as the top priority. However, while in Japan the response “there are no particular conditions” (33.6%) ranked second, in South Korea, factors such as △reduced housing costs (47.1%) △an environment conducive to childbirth and child-rearing (32.6%) △a culture of shared household and childcare responsibilities (29.6%) were ranked lower.

“Alleviating financial burdens” also ranked first in both South Korea and Japan as a condition for raising children with peace of mind. In this category as well, 34.7% of Japanese respondents placed “no specific conditions required” as their second-highest priority, whereas in South Korea, “guaranteed leave and reinstatement” ranked highest at 37.8%.

The survey revealed that young people in South Korea feel a higher level of anxiety about the future compared to their Japanese counterparts. In Japan, the largest proportion—33.2%—answered that they “have no concerns about the future,” whereas in South Korea, only 3.4% gave the same response. Young South Koreans cited unstable employment, income, and housing costs as their greatest sources of anxiety.

During the expert presentations that day, proposals were also made to expand employment and mobility opportunities for young people in both countries. Cho Young-tae, Director of the Center for Population Policy Studies at Seoul National University, suggested the need to design pathways that progress from tourism to residency and workation, and ultimately to employment and settlement, as well as to revise related systems such as visas, qualification recognition, and social insurance. The Exchange Committee plans to promote joint research and surveys between South Korea and Japan and to hold annual symposiums, alternating between the two countries. The second meeting will be held in South Korea next year.