TOKYO: As the July 7 election for governor of Tokyo nears, the candidates have been hitting the streets of Tokyo and many have called for action to tackle the low birthrate in Japan.

“There are still not enough people,” said ISHIMARU Shinji, the former mayor of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture. He says the economy needs to be revitalized to help people in their daily lives.

“Japan is going to have a tough time ahead,” the 41-year-old said at a rally in the upmarket Ginza shopping district in Tokyo. “Japan used to be an economic giant but as our population decreases, we are heading towards a smaller economy. If nothing is done about it, we won’t be able to maintain this cityscape or our standard of living. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly increase the power of the economy.”

One of the changes needed is to invest in education, Ishimaru says, and he has pledged to reduce the burden on teachers at elementary and junior high schools. However, he believes that the birthrate issue is a national problem, not just an issue in Tokyo, where the birthrate is lower than the rest of the country.

“The low birth rate is an issue for the whole country,” he said. “There is no point in discussing it at the local government level.”