Jan 23 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime minister Fumio Kishida pledged on Monday to take urgent steps to tackle the country’s declining birth rate, saying it was “now or never” for the world’s oldest society.
“Our nation is on the cusp of whether it can maintain its societal functions,” Kishida said in a policy speech at the opening of this year’s parliamentary session.
“It is now or never when it comes to policies regarding births and child-rearing – it is an issue that simply cannot wait any longer,” he added.
Kishida said he would submit plans to double the budget on child-related policies by June, and that a new government agency to tackle the issue would be set up in April.
Japan saw a record low number of births in 2021, the latest data available, prompting the biggest-ever natural decline in the population.
The World Health Organization has confirmed an eighth hantavirus case linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, as health authorities continue to investigate an outbreak that has already res...
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Malta Among Europe’s Most Affordable for Electricity, Eurostat Finds: Malta recorded some of the lowest electricity prices in Europe in the second half of 2025, according...
Updated 1230
Malta Among Europe’s Most Affordable for Electricity, Eurostat Finds: Malta recorded some of the lowest electricity prices in Europe in the second half of 2025, according...
Updated 1230
Court Backs Pro-Rata Billing Method in ARMS Electricity Tariff Case: Malta’s Civil Court dismissed a case by Darren Cordina against ARMS, ruling that electricity tariffs ...
The European Parliament has thrown its weight behind demands for a bigger long-term EU budget, approving its position for negotiations on the bloc’s next seven-year financial framework f...
Disinformation is no longer spreading only through fringe actors or political agitators, but through a digital system that rewards outrage, sensationalism and engagement above accuracy, ...
Malta Public Transport has launched a new digital signage system across key transport hubs in Malta and Gozo, providing passengers with real-time travel information. The system has been ...
Coinbase said on Tuesday it will cut about 700 jobs, or about 14% of its global workforce, as part of a restructuring plan aimed at reducing costs and repositioning the business fo...
“A company’s workplace culture praised by management, needs to be taken with caution. But when the recognition comes directly from employees, that carries greater weight,” says JONATHAN ...
EU lawmakers have approved new rules aimed at strengthening how failing banks are managed, extending protections to a wider range of institutions and depositors across the bloc.
The p...
Malta Public Transport has launched a new digital signage system across key transport hubs in Malta and Gozo, providing passengers with real-time travel information. The system has been ...
Malta Public Transport will be operating extended late-night services on the final night of the Malta International Fireworks Festival, scheduled for Thursday 30th April, ensuring specta...
French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving several crew members injured and the ship damaged. The...
A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appears increasingly uncertain, as fresh incidents in the Strait of Hormuz raise doubts over its durability. US Defence Secretary P...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
Ukraine struck Russia’s oil infrastructure in the Black Sea port city of Tuapse for the third time in a month, local authorities said Tuesday.
The city, which declared an environmenta...
Russian forces have taken 1,700 square km (656 square miles) of territory in Ukraine this year and are advancing on its so-called fortress belt in Donbas, Moscow's top general said whil...
