The government's population strategy headquarters opened the first meeting of an expert council on Friday, as it works toward a comprehensive population strategy to be drawn up by the end of the year. The 14-member panel, chaired by former internal affairs minister Hiroya Masuda, will debate measures to counter the falling birth rate and ways to keep local communities going.
At the first session the council confirmed it will build the strategy around a target of "a society where growth potential and security are secured even amid a declining population." Alongside measures to lift the birth rate, members will discuss building a social security system that assumes a smaller population, and maintaining services in the regions.
According to the government, attendees called for a society in which people can marry and have children without excessive sacrifice, and for stronger ties with schools and companies to sustain local communities. One member argued that Japan should show how it can preserve affluence even with fewer people, citing the use of artificial intelligence.
Foreign residents left to a separate panel
The council will next have the government present several projections for the country's future population, including foreign residents, and use them as the basis for discussion. Specific numerical targets for accepting foreign residents will not be written into the strategy, since a separate government expert panel is still debating that question.