Japan unveils plan to reverse population decline

A Japanese minister in charge of tackling declining births on Friday unveiled a draft proposal aimed at reversing the downtrend. The plan includes increased subsidies for childrearing and education for households with children, and a salary increase for younger generations to help increase their incentives to marry and have children.

Children's Policies Minister Masanobu Ogura said he submitted the proposal to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for further consideration.It will be part of a bigger policy package that Kishida's government will compile in June.Japan in 2022 had 799,728 newborns, a record low and falling below 800,000 for the first time since surveys began in 1899.Many couples are hesitating to add to their families because of rising costs.