A Japanese cabinet minister tasked with tackling the declining birth rate has unveiled a draft proposal aimed at reversing the downward trend, including increasing subsidies for child care and education and increasing wages for younger workers to motivate them to marry and have children. Japan's population of more than 125 million has been declining for 15 years and is expected to drop to 86.7 million by 2060. Population decline and an aging society have had huge repercussions on the economy and state security as Japan builds up its military to counter the country's ambitions. China's increasingly aggressive regionalism. To address the problem, the plan proposes to increase financial assistance and increase access to childcare services.
Okaz (Tokyo)
