Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada wants the nation to provide better child-rearing support, become a society that allows participation by everyone, and join the Hague Convention against abductions by estranged parents.
One of the main goals pledged by Kada's new Nippon Mirai no To (Tomorrow Party of Japan) for the Dec. 16 general election is annual benefits of ¥312,000 per child, the same amount the ruling Democratic Party of Japan promised but, lacking the finances, failed to deliver after it won the previous poll in 2009.
During an interview and briefing with media Sunday, Kada voiced alarm over the nation's low birthrate, warning Japan's population is set to shrink to a third of what it is now by 2100.