Japan on the brink of social dysfunction because of birth loss

Fumio Kishida said it was a case “now or never”.

Japan, with 125 million people, is estimated to have had less than 800,000 births last year. In the 1970 ' s, that figure was more than two million.

The birth rate is slowing in many countries, including Japan's neighbors, with China reporting its first population decline in 60 years.

But the issue is particularly acute in Japan after life expectancy has increased in recent decades, meaning there are an increasing number of elderly and a declining number of workers.

Japan now has the second highest percentage in the world of people aged 65 and older, about 28% after the small state of Monaco, according to World Bank data.

“Japania is on the verge of whether we can continue to function as society”, said Kishida lawmakers.

He said he wants the government to double its spending on programmes related to children. A new government agency to focus on the issue will be established in April, he added.

The decline in birth rates has been prompted by a number of factors, including increasing costs of living, more women in education and work, and greater access to contraception, leading to women who choose to have fewer children.