Japan offers free childbirth, medical care and education. The birth rate keeps falling.

Japan has rolled out a long list of support for parents:

• Childbirth costs covered by public insurance
• Free or subsidized medical care for children
• Tuition-free preschool and high school programs
• Monthly child allowances of ¥15,000 for children under 3 and ¥10,000 for older children (more for third and subsequent children)

Yet Japan recorded just 671,236 births in 2025. The fertility rate fell to 1.14.

A new survey found only 28.2% of parents with one young child want another. More than half worry about future income, and 80% say inflation is making it harder to raise children.

You can help pay for having a baby. You can’t make people feel financially secure enough to raise a family.

https://www.nippon.com/en/articles/-/57175

https://www.nippon.com/en/articles/-/55094

https://www.nippon.com/en/articles/-/19253

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/13/japan/society/childbirth-costs-coverage/

https://japan.kantei.go.jp/ongoingtopics/policies_kishida/childsupport.html