Japan’s low birth rate and aging population pose significant risks to society, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday, pledging to tackle the problem by creating a new government agency.
The birth rate is falling in many developed countries, but in Japan the problem is particularly acute because it has the world’s second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over, after the tiny country of Monaco, according to World Bank data.
The first social economy of children
“The number of births fell below 800,000 last year, according to estimates,” Kishida told lawmakers in a policy address marking the start of the new parliamentary session.
“Japan stands on the threshold of whether we can continue as a society,” he said.
“Directing attention to policies about children and children is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be delayed.”
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Conservative leaders said the policies – including the launch of the Children and Families Agency in April – were designed to support parents and ensure the “sustainability” of the world’s third-largest economy.
Kishida added that he ultimately wants the government to increase spending on child-related programs.
“We need to build a social economy first to reverse the (low) birth rate,” he said.
Birth rates are slowing in some countries
Japan has a population of 125 million and has long struggled to meet the needs of its growing elderly population.
Birth rates are slowing in many countries including neighboring Japan, due to factors including the rising cost of living, more women entering the workforce and people choosing to have children later.
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Official data showed last week that China’s population will shrink in 2022, for the first time in more than six decades.
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