As Japan continues to face a declining birth rate, political parties are pledging to adopt measures aimed at reducing the burden on households with children in their campaigns for Sunday's House of Councilors election.
Last year, Japan recorded fewer than 700,000 births for the first time. While parties are promising to make it easier to have and raise children, they have not adequately discussed how to fund these initiatives.
In 2023, the government drew up the Children's Future Strategy, positioning the period until the 2030s, when the country's youth population is forecast to plunge, as the "last chance to reverse the declining birth rate."
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