Hello, dear viewers. Welcome to today's special report. We will focus on a shocking social phenomenon - Japan's "low-desire society". Recently, scholar Minister Kenichi proposed a new concept: In Japan, an increasing number of young people choose to "lie flat", not buying a house, not getting married, not having children, not pursuing a salary increase or promotion, and even no longer caring about long-term career planning. Their philosophy of life is very simple: earn today and spend today, live in the present and don't want to bear any burden.
各位观众，大家好，欢迎收看今日特别报道。我们将聚焦一个令人震惊的社会现象——日本的“低欲望社会”。近日，学者大臣健一提出了一个新概念：在日本，越来越多的年轻人选择“躺平”，不买房、不结婚、不生孩子，也不追求加薪或升职，甚至不再关心长期职业规划。他们的生活哲学很简单：今天赚今天花，活在当下，不想背负任何负担。



The formation of this phenomenon is closely related to Japan's economic stagnation over the past three decades. In the 1980s, Japan's economy was developing rapidly and luxury consumption was everywhere: gold leaf ramen, gold leaf ice cream, and ordinary people were accustomed to spending money extravagantly. Real estate prices once soared. The total value of land in Tokyo was even four times that of the United States. People rushed to buy houses, even though the interest rate was as high as 8% to 10%. However, the bubble came to an abrupt end in the 1990s, with thousands of families going bankrupt and the number of homeless people in Tokyo doubling. Since then, the Japanese economy has fallen into a long-term stagnation. The younger generation has learned from their parents' lessons that efforts do not necessarily pay off and striving may only lead to disappointment.
这一现象的形成，与日本三十年来的经济停滞密切相关。上世纪八十年代，日本经济高速发展，奢侈消费随处可见：金箔拉面、金箔冰淇淋，普通人都习惯挥金如土。房地产价格一度飙升，东京的土地总值甚至是美国的四倍，人们争相买房，哪怕利率高达8%至10%。然而，泡沫在九十年代戛然而止，成千上万家庭破产，东京的无家可归者数量翻倍。自此，日本经济陷入长期停滞，年轻一代从父辈的教训中学到：努力不一定有回报，奋斗可能只换来失望。

Today, young Japanese show little interest in homeownership. In 1990, a new apartment in Tokyo cost 934,000 yen per square meter—about 41,000 yuan at the time—requiring 26 years of working without spending a single yen to afford one. Even with subsequent price drops and interest rates falling below 2%, the desire to buy remains weak. Between 1983 and 2013, homeownership among 25- to 29-year-olds dropped from 24.8% to just 11.3%.
如今的日本年轻人，对购房兴趣寥寥。1990年东京一套新公寓每平米高达934,000日元，相当于当时的4.1万元人民币，需要工作26年才能买下整套房。即便房价随后下跌，利率也降至2%以下，年轻人依然不为所动。数据显示，1983至2013年间，25至29岁的年轻人拥有住房比例从24.8%下降到11.3%。

Not only that, but the marriage rate and the birth rate are also sluggish. Since the early 2000s, Japan's marriage rate has remained below 0.6% for a long time, with less than six couples getting married per thousand people. The average fertility rate of women is only 1.3, far below the replacement level of 2.1. The United Nations predicts that by 2050, Japan's population will drop to 105 million, with only 45 million working people, and only one young person will support the pension system for each elderly person.
不仅如此，结婚与生育率同样低迷。自2000年代初，日本婚姻率长期低于0.6%，每千人中不到六对新人结婚。女性平均生育率仅为1.3，远低于2.1的更替水平。联合国预测，到2050年，日本人口将降至1.05亿，劳动人口仅4500万，每名老人仅有一名年轻人支撑养老体系。

A low-desire society is not only reflected in families but also permeates the workplace. Young people pursue stable income and jobs, give up their ambition for promotion, and generally are reluctant to work overtime. Once 34.4% of young people aspired to become company presidents, but now only 7.8% have this aspiration. The willingness to work overtime has declined, with 60% unwilling to work more than 20 extra hours per month. For them, enjoying life in the early stage is far more important than working hard.
低欲望社会不仅体现在家庭，也渗透到职场。年轻人追求稳定收入、稳定工作，放弃升职野心，普遍不愿加班。曾经有34.4%的年轻人立志成为公司总裁，而现在仅7.8%有此志向。加班意愿下降，60%每月不愿超过20小时额外工作。对于他们而言，早期享受生活远比拼命工作更重要。

Economists note that this choice reflects both rationality and resignation. After witnessing the harsh lessons of their parents during the bubble economy, today’s youth understand that hard work does not guarantee reward. “Lying flat” offers at least peace of mind.
经济学家指出，日本年轻人的选择，既是一种理性应对，也带着无奈与悲伤。经历了父辈泡沫经济的教训，他们深知努力不保证回报，而“躺平”至少能换来内心的平静。

It is worth noting that this phenomenon is not isolated. With the increase in global economic uncertainty, the impact of the pandemic, inflationary pressure and the problem of high housing prices, a similar trend of "low desire" has also begun to emerge in other developed regions of Asia. Experts warn that this may bring about the dual challenges of long-term demographic changes and a sluggish consumer market.
值得注意的是，这一现象并非孤立。随着全球经济不确定性增加，疫情冲击、通胀压力以及高房价困扰，类似“低欲望”趋势在亚洲其他发达地区也开始显现。专家警告，这可能带来长期人口结构变化与消费市场低迷的双重挑战。

Dear viewers, in the face of Japan's low-desire society, should we reflect on the values and social policies of the younger generation? What social pressure lies behind rational choice or passive giving up? Welcome to leave your opinions in the comment section.
各位观众，面对日本低欲望社会，我们是否应该反思年轻一代的价值观与社会政策？理性选择还是被动放弃，背后究竟隐藏着怎样的社会压力？欢迎您在评论区留下看法。