In the fight against population decline, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has presented new measures, such as more child benefits and paid parental leave. “We still have six to seven years to reverse the trend of declining birth rates,” Kishida said in Tokyo on Friday. This period is Japan’s “last chance”.
Japan has the second oldest population in the world after Monaco. “I want to create a society in which young people marry as they want and in which anyone who wants to can have and raise children without stress,” said the head of government. In return, Kishida promised more child benefits for parents of small children, higher wages for young people and help to cover training costs.
In addition, “more support is needed for single parents,” Kishida said, citing the example of a young woman who did not even want to get married and have children for fear of divorce. Times have changed and so have the attitudes of younger people, Kishida said.
More men on maternity leave
In addition, Kishida wants more men to take parental leave – in 2050 that should be 80 percent. To increase the share of fathers taking parental leave from less than 14 percent now to more than 50 percent in 2025, companies receive financial support and couples who both take parental leave receive an extra salary.
Initially, Kishida did not provide details about the funding. In January, Kishida warned that Japan, with fewer than 800,000 births a year, was at the “frontier of inability” to continue functioning as a society and care for its rapidly growing number of elderly people. (aeg/sda/apa/afp)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
