Ideal Mothers, Ideal Citizens? Japan’s Birthrate Policies and the Racialized Politics of Reproduction

• In Event: 50261 - Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 10: Gendered Parenting

Abstract

Japan’s population is projected to decline by 25% between 2015 and 2050, falling below 100 million—the lowest since records began in 1899. Additionally, Japan faces an extreme aging population. In response, the Japanese government has promoted reproduction and motherhood for over 30 years, yet these efforts have been largely unsuccessful and have not been inclusive of all women. This raises the question: Are these policies solely about increasing the population, or do they serve other political and social interests?

My research examines how policies addressing declining birthrates shape boundaries of citizenship in contemporary Japan. Situating Japan as a pan-Asian postcolonial empire, I analyze how the state constructs reproductive and maternal citizenship through a historical qualitative content analysis of national archives (N=68) and public discourse (N=20) from the 1990s to 2020. Comparing Japanese and Filipina women, my findings reveal that the Japanese state reinforces patriarchal family structures by employing controlling images of women that favor Japanese men while simultaneously privileging Japanese women over their Filipina counterparts. This process categorizes women into "ideal" and "non-ideal" citizens, thereby legitimizing hierarchical inequalities.

These findings suggest that controlling images of women are central to maintaining the postcolonial empire’s patriarchal status quo. By incorporating theories of boundaries and citizenship into discussions of marriage and family, this study contributes to research on racialization and underscores the necessity of an intersectional, relational approach to citizenship.

Author

• Yuka Doherty, The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater