As a measure to address the declining birthrate, Prime Minister Kishida announced his intention to raise the level of childcare leave benefits so that both men and women who take childcare leave for a certain period of time after childbirth can secure the same level of take-home income as before the leave.
In addition, with regard to the so-called "annual income barrier," the company indicated its policy of introducing support measures to prevent take-home income from decreasing even if it exceeds the standard of 106.<> million yen.
Prime Minister Kishida held a press conference on the evening of November 17 on measures to address the declining birthrate.
Prime Minister Kishida noted that the number of births last year fell below 800,000, the lowest ever, and pointed out that "if this trend continues, Japan's economy and society will shrink, making it difficult to maintain the social security system and local communities.
He then stated, "In the sense of changing not only the content and scale of policies, but also the awareness and structure of society as a whole, we will realize measures to address the declining birthrate of different dimensions as the most important issue of the administration."
He explained
that we will advance concrete policies based on the three basic principles of increasing the income of
the younger generation, changing the structure and awareness of society as a whole,
and
seamlessly supporting all child-rearing households.
As a specific measure to improve income, with regard to the so-called "annual income barrier" in which spouses are no longer dependent if their annual income exceeds a certain level, we first introduced support measures to prevent a reversal phenomenon in which take-home income decreases when the standard amount exceeds 1.06 million yen, and then clarified our policy of reviewing the system.
In addition, in light of the heavy burden placed on families with many children, he expressed his intention to take comprehensive support measures, such as expanding child allowances, reducing the burden of higher education expenses, and providing housing support for young child-rearing households.
Furthermore, stating that it is necessary to promote the use of childcare leave in order to change social structure and awareness, he clarified that the government's target for the rate of male employees taking childcare leave, which remains at a low level, will be raised to 50% by FY2025 and 85% in FY2030, and expressed his intention to support the development of corporate systems to encourage them to achieve them.
On the other hand, for national public servants, we aim to take childcare leave for all men, and by fiscal 2025, more than 85% of them will formulate a plan to take childcare leave of one week or more, and we will implement it.
As specific measures to encourage employees to take childcare leave, we have revised the childcare leave benefits so that they can be paid even if they wish, even if they wish, and we have announced our intention to raise the level of childcare leave so that both men and women who take childcare leave for a certain period of time after childbirth can secure the same level of take-home income as before the leave.
In addition to non-regular workers, the government also announced a policy of establishing a new system to provide financial support to freelancers and self-employed people if their income decreases due to childcare.
He also stated that "the realization of a 'Children-First Society' will be a common goal of all policies," and indicated that he would newly establish a "Children's Fast Track" at national facilities such as the National Museum that allows people with children to enter preferentially without having to line up at the counter, and expand it nationwide.
Referring to the establishment of the Children and Family Agency on April 1, Prime Minister Kishida stated, "While listening to the voices of the people, we will further deepen discussions on the content, budget, and financial resources for necessary policy enhancement, and present a broad framework for doubling the children's budget in the future by the Basic Policy in June."
He then emphasized, "While accurately grasping the changes of the times and changes in the consciousness of young people, we will take the lead in tackling the declining birthrate issue, which has become a 'race against time,' and make every effort."