A population decrease is the biggest crisis Japan is facing because it will threaten not only the existence of many local communities in Japan but also the existence of the nation as we now know it.

Behind it is the current economic and social situation in which young people find it difficult to marry or to raise children. The government has a grave responsibility to help create stable employment opportunities for them and to improve facilities and services for child-rearing couples.

At the same time, local communities need to develop their own strategies to cope with the economic effects of depopulation.