After Japanese population projections on Wednesday showed no major change to the aging of society, attention is now focusing on whether Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's efforts to combat the country's declining birthrate, his top priority, can be effective.
The government's estimates showed Japan's population continuing to decline, albeit at a slower pace thanks to a greater inflow of foreigner nationals.
In the estimates, the total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, will stand at 1.36 in 2070, far lower than the government's goal of 1.8, let alone the 2.07 needed to maintain the size of the country's population.