[alephnan]

> when they can barely afford themselves decent standard of living

Rent and food even in Tokyo is much cheaper than even medium sized cities in the states.

People might not be able to afford a luxurious lifestyle in Japan, and economists standard of living models may tell you otherwise, but the standard of living for a typical person in Japan is high

[ksec]

Which is why I said ( Standard being different from person to person ).

Once it becomes a norm, people want more.

[alephnan]

You originally argued Japan has low birthrate because people can’t afford it.

There are macro and microeconomic reasons , but not being able to afford to raise a child is not one of them. Most of the reasons are social.