Cash For Kids

When you really want to get people to do something, money talks. To get Americans to buy cars, the US government started doling out cash for clunkers, and it worked. Now CNN reports that in Japan, to encourage couples to have babies, authorities there are introducing a cash for kids program.

Japan's birth rates are among the lowest in the world. Meanwhile, about a quarter of their population is over 65. To make sure there are enough workers to fuel the economy, Japan's government is offering families $3,400 a year to have a child. The plan will last until the kid reaches the age of 18. The idea is to offer an incentive to mothers who would otherwise postpone pregnancy because of work or Japan's high cost of living.

We're guessing the plan will be successful with couples who were already planning to have a baby. But we doubt people are going to start families for just a few thousand dollars. Who knows? Maybe Japan's idea of planned parenthood will be a success. One thing's for sure: It's an improvement on China's one-child policy.

Photo courtesy Scion_Cho, via Flickr.