Japan, South Korea to Start Dialogues on Declining Birthrates, Aging Society; Nations Plan to Share Policies to Create More Effective Countermeasures

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:09 JST, August 22, 2025

Ahead of today’s meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Tokyo, the governments of Japan and South Korea have been making arrangements for them to agree on starting dialogues between authorities in both countries over issues including declining birth rates and aging populations.

The move is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations through policies relevant to people’s lives in both countries, reflecting the policy of “practical diplomacy” championed by Lee.

Both countries are also expected to agree to increase the number of times one person can obtain a working holiday visa, which enables the holder to stay and work in either of the countries for an extended period of time, from once to twice.

South Korea’s total fertility rate in 2024 was 0.75, one of the lowest in the world. The birth rate there is declining at a faster pace than in Japan, where the total fertility rate was 1.15 in the same year. On the other hand, Japan’s population is more elderly, at 29%, compared to South Korea’s, at 20%.

The governments of Japan and South Korea will continue their dialogues on these issues while also looking at the possibility of creating a new framework between the two countries. Regular conferences on declining birth rates and aging populations are already held among Japan, China and South Korea.

Both countries are hoping to share with each other their problems and countermeasures in hopes of improving the effectiveness of policies.

It is assumed that the discussions will feature the participation of specialists and cover a wide range of social problems related to declining birth rates and aging populations, in addition to issues Ishiba has been making strong efforts to address, such as regional revitalization and the elimination of factors that make working difficult for women.

Ishiba and Lee are also expected to confirm their intention to promote private exchanges between both countries. Young people from either country visiting the other will soon have not one but two opportunities to obtain a working holiday visa, and both countries will aim to expand these trips from short tourist visits to longer stays in which people will have more opportunities to get to know the country they are traveling to.