With his "new capitalism" doctrine failing to take off, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to invest his diminishing political capital in child care policy in an attempt to bolster his tarnished image ahead of April’s regional elections and the Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima in May.
Kishida has pledged to take "unprecedented steps" to address the issue, causing a stir in Japan's political world and prompting parliamentary debate. The topic has gained even greater impetus after data showed births in 2022 fell under 800,000, the lowest figure on record.
But the government's response is still in its initial stage, and for now Kishida's administration is focused on casting child-rearing in a more positive light — in Japan, there is a lingering perception that the barriers to having children are just too great.