Japanese Prime minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to take urgent steps to tackle the country’s
declining birth rate, saying it was “now or never” for the
world’s oldest society.
“Our nation is on the cusp of whether it can maintain its
societal functions,” Kishida said in a policy speech on Monday at the
opening of this year’s parliamentary session.
“It is now or never when it comes to policies regarding
births and child-rearing – it is an issue that simply cannot
wait any longer,” he added.
Kishida said he would submit plans to double the budget on
child-related policies by June, and that a new government agency
to tackle the issue would be set up in April.
Japan saw a record low number of births in 2021, the latest
data available, prompting the biggest-ever natural decline in
the population.
READ MORE: What is Japan’s ‘baby hatch’ and why is it controversial?
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