Great Construction

The Foolishness of Birth Control

     On the topic of birth control, three times already I have published articles, but as I still have points to make on the subject, I will do so.
     Birth control is encouraged in Japan at present because the food supply is insufficient for the population. That is the reason given, but upon careful consideration, this policy is indeed short-sighted. For example, let us suppose that right now a child were born. It would take twenty years for it to become a fully-grown adult. As we live in times like today in which society and the whole world is so bewildering and confused, we surely have no way of knowing what kind of world it will be in twenty years. We do not even know of great changes which would be beyond imagination that can come in the next five years. Therefore, even were a policy to decrease the population through birth control to be implemented today, we do not know if this means that we do not have to be worried about population growth several years in the future. In previous years we did not even dream that we would undertake such a mistaken policy as to try to enlarge our territorial area through foreign invasion. Therefore, from a practical standpoint, who can say that an age in which will be solved the population problem will not come?
     For example, today as intellectuals in the United States advocate for the realization of a World State, it may be that population adjustment can be realized by shifting populations from high-density nations to nations of a low density. Nay, there is much to suggest that such an administrative policy is possible. We know that reasons for breaking the peace are in great measure due to the inequities of population distribution. In which case, those who advocate for birth control ought to give this point considerable attention. In these circumstances, I do believe that contrary to expectations a World State may be realized rather easily. The reason for this optimism is that it is only natural that the U.S.-U.S.S.R. issue which presently threatens world peace, whether through military or peaceful means, will come to be settled. The realization of a world of eternal peace probably lies in the birth of a World State.

Hikari, Issue 23, August 20, 1949
translated by cynndd

For reference, the three other essays concerning birth control that Meishu-sama had published previously are the following.

1. “The Birth Control Issue as Seen from the Viewpoint of Religion,” Hikari, Issue 7, April 30, 1949.

2. “Another Way of Looking at the Birth Control Issue,” Hikari, Issue 12, June 11, 1949,

3. “A Birth Control Project That Will Destroy the Nation,” Hikari, Issue 16, August 20, 1949.

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“Sansei no Gu” from Hikari, Issue 23, August 20, 1949, has already appeared in translation. The citation is given below for reference.

“Birth Control,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 437.