“Only 727,277 births were recorded last year, with the fertility rate - the number of children a woman has in her lifetime - dropping to a fresh low of 1.2, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.”
Tokyo’s government will offer its own staff a four-day week from April, and parents of young children can trade salary to leave early. Japan’s fertility rate hit 1.2 against the 2.1 needed to hold steady. Sociologists blame grueling hours and the cost of living. Tokyo’s fix for overwork only covers its own payroll, and the parents who want to leave early have to pay for it.