"On the brink" isn't a phrase you use lightly.
Japan's prime minister says his country is on the brink of not being able to function as a society because of its falling birth rate.
Fumio Kishida said it was a case of "now or never."
Again, "now or never" isn't something you say if you're not in a dire situation.
Japan is in rough shape, y'all, and most people don't even realize it.
Japan - population 125 million - is estimated to have had fewer than 800,000 births last year. In the 1970s, that figure was more than two million.
Birth rates are slowing in many countries, including Japan's neighbours.
But the issue is particularly acute in Japan as life expectancy has risen in recent decades, meaning there are a growing number of older people, and a declining numbers of workers to support them.
Researchers estimate that the population will more than halve to 53 million by the end of the 21st century.
Imagine what a nation looks like when the old and infirm outnumber the young and healthy by multiple factors.
Think of all the energy it takes to keep roads, electricity, buildings, hospitals, and other vital infrastructure going.
It isn't good, especially if you don't understand how human nature and history works.
You think all of Japan's neighbors are going to let them be a crumbling island – one that's teeming with beauty and natural resources – without considering annexing them?
Do you seriously think Xi Jinping isn't licking his lips at the thought of expanding China's territory further into the Pacific?
Japan has continued implementing strict immigration laws despite some relaxations, but some experts are now saying that the rules should be loosened further to help tackle its ageing society.
Considering our own falling birth rates in the West, does the need for a cheap influx of labor now make sense to you?
The situation at America's southern border is merely an attempt of politicians to replace childless citizens with servants that can be more easily controlled.
