Only 770,747 babies were born in Japan last year. That's half of the country's death rate, which last year increased to 9% — or 1.57 million people. That increase was driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan is already one of the oldest countries in the world. The country's median age is nearly 49, coming in second only behind Monaco.
For years, the government has been trying to encourage people to have more children, offering cash incentives and up to a year of parental leave. But these efforts have so far fallen short.
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The government is expected to earmark 3.5 trillion yen ($25.2 billion) annually on childcare services and higher education subsidies over the next three years, but many experts fear the additional funding does not address underlying issues.
Japan is one of the most expensive places in the world to raise a child. It also has the largest gender wage gap among the G7 nations, with women earning only 78% of what their male counterparts make. Experts also say that the country's strenuous corporate culture makes it difficult for people to consider having children or to make time for child care.
"The youth population will start decreasing drastically in the 2030s. The period of time until then is our last chance to reverse the trend of dwindling births," Kishida said this week.
Despite all its efforts and billions spent, Japan just can't seem to convince its citizens to have more children
Japan's birth rate declined for the seventh consecutive year in a row, reaching a record low in 2022.www.yahoo.com
