Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a new childcare plan.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a news conference on February 25, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan. Kishida announced further sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, including export controls and an asset freeze on Russian financial institutions.
But can his new effort help the Asian country overcome its very low birth rate?
In January, Kishida issued a serious warning about Japan's worsening population decline. He said that the country's low birth rate is affecting the social functions of residents.
Because of this, the Japanese PM wanted to solve Japan's birth rate problem, saying it couldn't wait any longer. Fumion Kishida finally unveiled his new childcare plan to help increase Japan's birth rate.
Japan PM Kishida's New Child Care Plan
According to Reuters' latest report, during a press conference, Kishida announced the new childcare plan for Japan on Tuesday, June 13.
The nursing staff takes care of newborn babies wrapped in Hello Kitty blankets at Hau Sheng Hospital in Yuanlin, Changhua County, central Taiwan, on January 14, 2009. More than 2,000 babies have been born at this 30-bed hospital, decorated with the Japanese animated character Hello Kitty, over the past two years.
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"Now is the last chance to reverse the downtrend in childbirth by the early 2030s," said the Japanese prime minister.
"The low birthrate is a massive problem that concerns our country's society and entire economy and can't be put off," Kushida added.
The Straits Times reported that the Japanese leader plans to double childcare spending by early 2030.
As of press time, Japan's spending on child care is estimated at around $45 billion (4.7 trillion yen). The additional budget will be used to support those taking child care leaves and increase child care allowances.
Aside from increasing childcare spending, the Japanese Parliament wants companies to allow their workers more flexible working schedules.
For example, the new childcare plan will urge companies to allow their employees three days off per week.
Can It Solve Japan's Low Birth Rate?
As of writing, it is still early to conclude if Kishida's new childcare plan will be efficient.
The Japanese prime minister hasn't shared how the Parliament will fund the mentioned childcare improvements above. But, Japanese officials need to start implementing them since Japan is one of the countries with the lowest birth rate.
CNN World reported that Japan's birth rate has steadily declined over the past few years.
If you want to learn more about Japan's worsening low birth rate, you can click this link.
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