Japan PM Kishida says need to address declining birth rate

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed the importance of addressing the country’s declining birth rate. This follows a major drop in record births in Japan in 2021, a record drop in the population.

In a policy speech on Monday during the opening of the parliamentary session, Kishida said the country must act on the country’s record low birth rate. Kishida added that a new government agency would be established to tackle the issue in April and that he would turn in proposals to increase the budget on child-related policies in June.

“Our nation is on the cusp of whether it can maintain its societal functions,” said Kishida. “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.”

In 2021, the birth rate in Japan reached a record low, leading to the biggest-ever decline in its population. Along with the record low birth rate, around 28 percent of Japanese people are over 65 years old.

Japan has maintained strict immigration policies for years that limit the number of people that can settle in Japan. Experts have said that Japan must ease its immigration policies in order to offset its ageing population. Tokyo has been reviewing its laws in recent years to allow more foreigners to live and work in the country with their families.

Previously, on Sunday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported that Kishida is considering a visit to Ukraine in an effort to assure Kyiv that, as the current chair of the G7 countries this year, support for Ukraine will continue. The visit will likely be in February when Kishida will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and release a joint statement further condemning Russia’s aggression.

Government sources said Kishida has yet to make the final decision on a potential visit. On the same day, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said that the idea of visiting Ukraine is something Tokyo must consider as the G7 chair for 2023. Kihara noted, however, that nothing has been decided so far when pressed on Kishida’s possible visit to Kyiv.