January 23, 2023
2 mins read

Kishida vows to reverse Japan’s falling birth rate

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says Japan is on the brink due to falling birth rate, reports Asian Lite News

Low birthrate crisis is deepening in Japan. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his country is on the brink of not being able to function as a society because of its falling birth rate, media reports said.

Kishida said it was a case of “now or never”, the BBC reported.

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, BBC reported.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (Photo_Xinhua_IANS)

Japan now has the world’s second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over – about 28 per cent – after the tiny state of Monaco, according to World Bank data.

“Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society,” Kishida told lawmakers.

“Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed.”

He said that he eventually wants the government to double its spending on child-related programmes. A new government agency to focus on the issue would be set up in April, he added, BBC reported.

However, Japanese governments have tried to promote similar strategies before, without success.

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows passengers stranded in a JR Yokosuka Line train following an earthquake, Japan, March 16, 2022. (Photo by Sun Jialin/Xinhua/IANS)

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.

Falling birth rates are driven by a range of factors, including rising living costs, more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children, BBC reported.

ALSO READ: US, Japan to boost alliance amid China worries

Previous Story

Mohammad Al Gergawi joins WEF Leadership Council

Next Story

INS Vagir commissioned into the Indian Navy

Latest from -Top News

Mass Expulsions Close Afghan Shops in Pakistan

As Pakistan intensifies its mass deportation drive against Afghan refugees, the once-bustling Afghan-owned businesses in Rawalpindi are falling silent. With the March 31 deadline for repatriation passed, a growing number of Afghan-run

South Korea Sets June 3 Presidential Election

South Korea will hold a presidential election on June 3, the government confirmed on Tuesday, setting the stage for a new leadership following the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk

RPP Rallies for Return of Nepal’s Monarchy

Police on alert as royalist rallies return to the capital Kathmandu witnessed heightened tensions on Tuesday as the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) staged a high-profile demonstration demanding the reinstatement of Nepal’s
Go toTop

Don't Miss

‘Japan Day’ at Expo 2020 to promote Expo 2025 Osaka

Japanese authorities plan to utilise ‘”Japan Day” event – that

‘UAE and Japan spearheading global carbon removal drive’

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Kishida