This year Japan faced a serious problem - the country's birth rate fell to a record low.

The Prime Minister of Japan said that because of this the state will not be able to maintain basic social functions, because the country may face a radical reduction in the labor force. The prime minister has declared boosting the birth rate his administration's "top priority" . He has promised in 2023 to present a plan to double the budget to support families with children.

One proposal is to remove the upper limit on monthly cash payments to parents and extend payments until graduation from high school. The government will also increase the allowance for families with three or more children. There will also be an increase in benefits provided for both parents that take leave within eight weeks after the birth of a child. To make it easier for companies to grant vacations, the government intends to increase subsidies for enterprises.

The lack of adequate childcare services is considered one of the main obstacles to starting a family in Japan. Nurseries that lower the limit to five children in the 1-2 age group and a maximum of 25 children in the older group will receive subsidies to cover increased operating costs. The plan also proposes to alleviate the financial burden of parents and prospective parents who pay off loans for university or other higher education.

Over the past year, less than 800,000 people were born in Japan - for the first time in the history of the country. At the same time, 29% of the population are elderly people, and 11% are children.

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