The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a package of policies designed to tackle Japan’s long-pressing issue of a declining birthrate, although it was short on details on how to secure the necessary funding for an increased child care budget.
Since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed early this year to introduce “unprecedented steps” to stop the fall in the number of births and the fertility rate in order to head off a severe long-term economic impact, the public has been waiting to hear what that would involve.
“Depopulation is an imminent problem that cannot be shelved and affects our nation’s overall social and economic activities,” Kishida said at a panel meeting Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo.
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