NAGI (Okayama Pref.): Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio visited Nagi, Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, Sunday to see firsthand child-rearing support measures being implemented in the town, whose total fertility rate is among the highest in the country.

The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman is expected to deliver in her lifetime.

Kishida visited Nagi Child Home, a temporary care facility mainly for preschoolers, which also allows children and adults of various ages to have interactions. At the facility, Kishida received explanations from Okayama Governor Ryuta Ibaragi and Nagi Mayor Masachika Oku.

Kishida also held talks with local people raising children, with one participant calling for an increase in kindergarten and nursery school teachers and another saying, “I would be happy if there is an obstetrics clinic nearby.” The prime minister also inspected a “shigoto konbini” program, which offers jobs that can be done while raising children.

In talks with reporters, Kishida stressed the need to expand support measures. “At the same time, I strongly felt that it is important to change the mindset of the entire society,” he said.

The prime minister plans to reflect what he learned during the visit to Nagi in the government’s draft measures for shoring up the country’s low birthrate, to be drawn up in late March.

JIJI Press