Japan Press Weekly

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2022 December 21 - 2023 January 10 [POLITICS]

PM Kishida’s ‘double the child-related budget’ slogan is empty promise

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Prime Minister Kishida has reiterated that he will double child-related budgets while giving no detailed policies in this regard. In contrast, he recently decided on a massive increase in the military budget totaling 43 trillion yen over the next five years from FY 2023.

It is said that the number of babies born in Japan in 2022 dipped below the 800,000 level for the first time since the start of the birthrate survey. Japan’s birth rate is falling faster than the government’s forecast.

The 2021 government data showed that for married couples, an ideal average number of children was 2.25. However, Japan’s total fertility rate in 2021 stood at 1.60. Many couples, as a reason for giving up on their desired family size, cited that to raise children in Japan is too expensive. This has been the most cited reason for the past two decades.

PM Kishida in January in the Diet promised to double the child-related support budget. Nevertheless, the government’s draft budget for the next year indicates that despite the launch of the new ministry in charge of children and family affairs in April 2023, government spending in this area will remain at almost the same level as in FY 2022 (four trillion yen).

Considering that the government’s military buildup policy, proposed tax hikes, and slashes in government spending in various fields will be implemented, there is a possibility that budgets related to childrearing will also be reduced.

In the latest opinion polls conducted by media outlets, many respondents were opposed to the proposed huge military buildup and associated tax hikes. In the Kyodo survey carried out on December 17 and 18, 75.7% of respondents aged under 39 expressed their disapproval of this policy. The need now is to change the government to one enabling people of all generations, including younger and childrearing generations, to live a full and meaningful life without anxieties.