  This study explores the indirect impact of war damage on postwar fertility,
with a specific focus on Japan's air raids during World War II. Using 1935 and
1947 Kinki region town/village data and city air raid damage information, we
explored the "far-reaching effects" on fertility rates in nearby undamaged
areas. Our fixed-effects model estimates show that air raids influenced postwar
fertility within a 15-kilometer radius of the bombed cities. These impacts
varied based on bombing intensity, showing both positive and negative effects.
Moreover, a deeper analysis, using the Allied flight path as a natural
experiment, indicates that air raid threats and associated fear led to
increased postwar fertility, even in undamaged areas. This study highlights the
relatively unexplored indirect consequences of war on fertility rates in
neighboring regions and significantly contributes to the literature on the
relationship between wars and fertility.
