Candidates for Tokyo governor are calling for stricter measures to tackle the city’s low birth rate ahead of the July 7 gubernatorial election.
The capital recorded a total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime, of 0.99 in 2023, the first of Japan’s 47 prefectures with one child under 1, according to health ministry data.
Many candidates have expressed deep concern about the situation.
Incumbent Governor Yuriko Koike, 71, has taken steps such as providing a monthly benefit of ¥5,000 to every Tokyo resident aged 18 or younger and abolishing income limits on aid with the aim of effectively making high school tuition free to make.
Her goal is to ease the economic burden on households with children.
“I have given great hope to young mothers and fathers and people who are considering marriage,” Koike said.
She says she wants to introduce new measures for her possible third term, such as subsidies for painless births and making childcare free for the first child in a family.
She has promised to create a Tokyo “where raising children and education are not expensive.”
Renho, a former member of the House of Councilors, 56, believes a decline in marriages is a cause of the problem.
“If we remove concerns about the future, people will not have to give up their dream of getting married,” she said, emphasizing that the priority should be to improve the income levels of the younger generations.
Renho has advocated, among other things, converting ‘non-regular employees’ in the city government – employees with a part-time or temporary contract – into permanent staff.
She also proposed creating an ordinance to call on companies that have contracts with the metropolitan government to increase wages.
Shinji Ishimaru, 41, former mayor of Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, has proposed expanding investment in education, saying: “The low birth rate is a national issue. There is no point in discussing it at the local government level.”
His election promises include reducing the workload of teachers by increasing the staff assisting with tasks in primary and secondary schools.
Television personality Kuniaki Shimizu, 73, has called for supporting dual-income households by setting up more childcare facilities for sick children.
Toshio Tamogami, 75 years old and former chief of staff of the air force, emphasizes a reduction in property taxes for the younger generations.
