Japanese Government Pushes Policy
to Eliminate Childbirth Expenses
Japan, which is facing the challenges of low birth rates and an aging population, is estimated to have experienced a decline in its birth rate for the ninth consecutive year as of last year. In response to this urgent situation, the Japanese government has announced measures to fully cover childbirth expenses at the national level.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on May 16, the Japan Research Institute estimated that Japan's total fertility rate last year?the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her childbearing years?stood at 1.15. This figure is 0.05 lower than the 1.20 recorded in 2023. Unless these estimates are significantly off, Japan's total fertility rate will have declined for nine consecutive years.
Although the number of marriages last year increased by 2.1% to 485,000 couples, the number of Japanese newborns is estimated to have dropped by 5.6% year-on-year to 686,000. Traditionally, marriage rates and birth rates have been considered closely correlated, but the results this time contradict that expectation. Fujinami Takumi, a researcher at the institute, stated, "There is a growing trend of couples choosing not to have children even after getting married."
According to preliminary demographic statistics released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in February, the number of newborns in Japan last year, including foreign nationals, is estimated to have decreased by 5.0% to 720,988. This is the lowest figure since related statistics began in 1899.
In response to the recent sharp decline in births, the Japanese government is currently working on measures to completely eliminate the personal financial burden of childbirth. On May 14, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare explained at an expert meeting that it would "proceed with the concrete institutional design to make standard childbirth costs free of charge for individuals," a policy that was met with approval, according to reports by Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun.
The Japanese government plans to establish a system for free childbirth costs by March 2027, although the specific implementation date has not yet been determined. Currently, in Japan, only certain childbirth procedures such as cesarean sections are covered by public health insurance, while normal deliveries are not included.
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