According to an adviser to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan is facing a severe crisis due to the falling birth rate. Masako Mori stated in an interview that if the birth rate continues to decline, the country will disappear, with the social safety net and economy being threatened.
Last year, the number of births in Japan hit a record low of fewer than 800,000, while over 1.58 million people died. Kishida has pledged to double spending on children and families to control the slide, which is progressing faster than predicted.
The population has fallen from a peak of just over 128 million in 2008 to 124.6 million, and the pace of decline is increasing. Mori warned that the decline is not gradual, but heading straight down, which means that children born now will face a society that is distorted, shrinking, and losing its ability to function.
If nothing is done, the social security system would collapse, industrial and economic strength would decline, and there wouldn't be enough recruits for the Self-Defense Forces to protect the country. To mitigate the damage, the government must do everything it can to slow the decline, although reversing the trend now would be difficult.
Kishida has yet to announce the content of his new spending package, but many feel that the country should open doors to immigrants like Canada, to keep its economy running or face a very bleak future.
