Japan will cease to function as a society if its birth rate continues to decline, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday, urging his government to create a “children-first economic society”.
“Japan is at a critical point of whether we can continue to function as a society. Focusing on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot be postponed,” Kishida said at a parliament session.
According to Kishida, the government would increase its spending on child-related programs and establish a children and families agency in April to develop policies on children and child-rearing.
“We must establish a children-first economic society and turn around the birth rate,” he stated. “We will also work on the introduction of a career-based scholarship system to reduce the burden of higher education.”…