Japan is paying people to have babies to boost declining birth rate

Japan has been plagued by declining birth rates for the past few years. Therefore, different schemes are being implemented in the country to increase the birth rate. The country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will now pay those who give birth.

According to a report in Japan, currently, parents are paid 4,20,000 yen (Rs 2,53,338) when a child is born. Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato wants to increase this figure by 500,000 yen to 3,00,402 rupees. A discussion is going on in this regard.

Japan's birth rate is still low despite the current 'Child Birth and Child Care Lump-sum Subsidy' scheme. Child birth 'fees' have to be paid out of pocket, even though this amount is covered by Japan's public medical insurance system.

Even if this amount is increased, parents will have an average of 30,000 yen left when they return home from the hospital, which is not a large amount of money to raise a child.

It is going to benefit the parents by getting more money. Also, the 80,000 yen increase is the highest ever for the subsidy and the first since 2009.

According to government figures released in 2021, Japan has seen the lowest number of births in more than a century. These figures have caused a stir because the population decline will have far-reaching consequences in the future. This issue has been the policy of the country since many years.

The country saw 8,11,604 births and 14,39,809 deaths last year, resulting in a population decline of 6,28,205. Health The decline in birth rates last year is due to a decline in the number of women of childbearing age as well as a decline in the birth rate of women in their 20s.