Mon 23 January 2023:
It’s “now or never” for one of the oldest societies in the world, according to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who promised on Monday to take immediate action to address the nation’s decreasing birthrate.
With promises of financial bonuses and better benefits, Japan has recently tried to persuade its citizens to have more children, but surveys show that it is still among the most expensive countries in the world to raise a child.
According to official estimates, births fell to a new record low last year, going below 800,000 for the first time. This watershed moment occurred eight years earlier than the government had anticipated.
“Our nation is on the cusp of whether it can maintain its societal functions,” Kishida said in a policy speech 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 for child-related policies by June, and that a new Children and Families government agency to oversee the issue would be set up in April.
According to YuWa Population Research, Japan is the third-most expensive country in the world to raise a child, after China and South Korea, both of which are experiencing population declines that are concerning for the world economy. China announced this week that its population would decline in 2022 for the first time in 60 years.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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