Japan on Saturday launched a new agency for overseeing child policies as the government under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida struggles to reverse the country's declining birthrate.
The Children and Families Agency, under the direct supervision of the prime minister, will tackle a wide range of challenges, including the perilously low birthrate, child abuse and poverty, as the "control tower" in compiling policies while eliminating sectionalism.
The agency, the first governmental body to be established since the Digital Agency in September 2021, brought together relevant departments from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry as well as the Cabinet Office. Combined with people from the private sector and local governments, the agency has around 430 officials.