The number of newborns in Japan in 2019 was projected to decline to 864,000, falling below the 900,000-level for the first time since record-keeping began 120 years ago in 1899, the health ministry said Dec. 24.

A drop in the number of births was expected, but the ministry’s long-term demographic forecasts announced two years ago called for a slide to 869,000 in 2021.

With the actual figure for 2019 expected to be lower than the previous estimate for 2021, the latest projection gives a fresh reminder of the grim demographic reality of the nation.

The government should respond to this bleak picture by conducting a sweeping review to determine why its policy efforts have been so disappointingly ineffective in tackling the problem.

This colossal challenge clearly requires more radical steps designed to bring about fundamental changes in Japanese society.

In explaining the reasons for the larger-than-expected fall, the ministry cited a slip in the number of women aged 25 to 39, who constitute the bulk of the child-bearing population.

The ministry also pointed out that the beginning of the new imperial era in May caused a spike in the number of couples who decided to get married in the first month of Reiwa, resulting in a decline in the number of couples who tied the knot in 2018 and in the first four months of 2019.

These factors, however, are not the only or key reasons for the unexpectedly sharp drop in births.

The nation’s economic conditions have probably played a role, but more attention should be paid to structural factors that work against marriage and childbearing.

It is, of course, up to individual women to decide whether to have children and when they want to give birth.

But it is necessary to change the social situation that could cause childbearing women to suffer from anxiety and stress.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called the steady decline in the number of children “a national crisis” and pledged to expand policy support to childbearing generations as the top policy priority.

But the government’s advisory council for “all-generation social security,” set up under Abe’s initiative, has failed to address issues concerning support for childrearing families.

The Abe administration claims it has already taken various measures to support such families, including increasing the number of day nurseries and offering free day care and kindergarten services.

But the latest birth projections leave little doubt that such measures have been far from enough to deal with the formidable demographic challenge.

The number of children on waiting lists for day care facilities still topped 16,000 in April, indicating a huge unfulfilled demand.

Young generations in Japan are struggling with stagnant growth in take-home pay and a sizable gender wage gap.

There has been little improvement in the persistent problem of long working hours. Only 6 percent of male employees take child care leave, a situation that imposes a disproportionately large burden on women.

The problem of “maternity harassment,” or workplace bullying against pregnant workers and new mothers, remains as rampant as ever.

Families struggling with child care often find themselves in serious social isolation, while cases of child abuse in such families keep growing.

The government recently took one belated step to rectify an outdated rule concerning policy support to single parents raising young children. Unmarried single parents have finally been made eligible for a tax break. But many systems are still based on old-fashioned views about family and outdated household models.

Policy responses to this serious situation should not be limited to support to families with young children.

The government needs to develop a comprehensive and diverse combination of policy measures to tackle the challenge. It should include support to young people hesitating to get married for various reasons, steps to improve the workplace environment for employees to pursue professional careers while raising children, and efforts to change the mindset of companies and corporate employees.

Spending on measures to support childrearing is an investment in the future. The government should start stepping up its policy efforts to stem the nation’s demographic decline.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 27