Tokyo, Sep 1 (IANS) Governors and Mayors across Japan revealed widespread scepticism about the country’s ability to improve it’s declining birthrate by 2030, said a recent survey conducted by local media.
Despite the government’s “unprecedented measures” to tackle the challenge, including expanding child allowances and parental leave benefits, 79 per cent of respondents expressed doubt that these efforts would lead to meaningful improvement, according to the survey conducted by national news agency Kyodo.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the total fertility rate, which estimates the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime, hit a record low of 1.20 in 2023, but the rate needs to be 2.07 to maintain the population. The government has labelled the period up to 2030 as the “last chance” to reverse the declining trend, Xinhua news agency reported.
In the survey, 23 per cent of respondents said they “do not think” the fertility rate will improve by 2030, while another 56 per cent also gave negative answers. Only two per cent of the surveyed local leaders were sure of such improvement.
The survey highlighted a call for more comprehensive measures beyond current strategies, including government financial support to make school meals and medical expenses free, Kyodo reported on Sunday.
Respondents also stressed the need to address the rise in unmarried individuals, indicating that support should extend beyond families with children to tackle underlying social challenges.
On the national level, officials have spoken about the severity of the situation of Japan’s aging and shrinking population — and pitched their plan as a last chance to turn things around.
“The period until the early 2030s, when the population of young people is expected to decline sharply, is the last chance to reverse the declining birthrate trend,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on June 1.
His government plans to double childcare spending by the early 2030s, including bigger subsidies for families with kids, more support for higher education and medical care for children with disabilities.
–IANS
int/rs/khz
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
