The government on Friday adopted a set of measures to fight the low birthrate through 2020, setting an extremely ambitious goal of boosting men who take paternity leave immediately after a child is born to 80 percent, which is the same rate as women who take maternity leave.
The government said it will also promote matchmaking, set numerical targets for getting men more involved in child care, and provide more support for families with three or more children.
In an outline of the steps, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet called for intensive efforts over the next five years to face a "critical situation" where Japan's dwindling child count could shake its societal and economic foundations.