Languages: English. Japan is poised to significantly overhaul its approach to childbirth costs as part of a sweeping initiative to tackle its declining birth rate. A government panel has ...

Roland Kelts: I do. I think it's a canary in a coal mine. It doesn't help Japan's marriage rates—and therefore birth rates—that a growing number of businesses now cater to the rise of parties ...

TOKYO – Japan’s Health Ministry is set to eliminate out-of-pocket payments associated with child delivery, possibly from April 2026, to address the country’s declining birth rate.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

Japan’s labor market remained largely tight in March, supporting momentum for wage hikes, while uncertainties over the global trade war continue to darken the outlook. The jobless rate ticked up ...

Japan is likely to cover parents’ hospital fees for childbirth from April 2026 as the country struggles to reverse its falling birth rate. A panel of experts tasked with examining ways to ease ...

Japan is likely to cover parents’ hospital fees for childbirth from April 2026 as the country struggles to reverse its falling birth rate. A panel of experts tasked with examining ways to ease ...

Japan lags far behind other big economies with an index for its real average annual wages showing almost no growth between 1995 and 2021, according to IMF data. That compares with growth rates of ...