Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida has announced immediate measures to remedy the declining birth rate in the country.
Addressing the first parliamentary session of the new year, he said that this is the stage that if nothing is done about it now, then we will never be able to do it again.
The Japanese prime minister said he will submit a proposal to double the budget for child-related policies by June.
He said that a new agency for children and families will be formed by April to look into the matter.
In recent years, Japan has been encouraging its citizens to have more children through cash and other incentives, but according to various surveys, Japan is one of the most expensive countries in the world to raise a child.
Japan’s birth rate fell to a record low last year, with just over 800,000 babies born in a year for the first time, according to official figures.
