A nappy manufacturer in Japan is to stop making the products for babies and instead raise production of adult diapers, in a reflection of the country’s rapidly ageing society.
Oji Holdings, which specialises in paper products, said it would stop making children’s nappies in September amid a sharp decline in demand. The firm has seen sales drop from a peak of about 700m in 2001 to 400m today.
Sales of adult diapers have outpaced those of nappies in Japan for well over a decade, and recent population statistics indicate that the trend will continue.
The number of births in Japan fell to an all-time low of 758,631 in 2023, compared with 1,590,503 deaths. Children under the age of 15 accounted for less than 12% percent of the country’s population in 2022, the public broadcaster NHK said, while those aged 65 and over made up almost 30%.
The population is expected to plummet from its current 125 million to an estimated 88 million in 2065 – a 30% decline in 45 years.
The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has described the stubbornly low birthrate as an “existential crisis” and promised financial aid for families, easier childcare access and more parental leave.
With few exceptions, however, national and local government campaigns to encourage people to have bigger families have had little impact.
A Japanese woman can expect to have an average of 1.3 children during her lifetime – well below the 2.1 needed to sustain the current population size.
A spokesperson for Oji Holdings said the firm would boost production of sanitary products for older people, adding that they expected them to be used in nursing homes and other public facilities.
“Demand for baby diapers is decreasing due to several factors, including the falling birthrate,” the spokesperson said.
The firm will continue to sell nappies domestically until stocks run out, and plans to expand production in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, where demand is expected to grow.
