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The government is discussing a proposal to raise the lump-sum childbirth benefit from ¥420,000 per child to about ¥500,000 in fiscal 2023, as part of efforts to tackle Japan’s declining birth rate.
On Tuesday, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato presented the proposal to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who will make the final decision.
In fiscal 2021, the average cost of delivering a child, excluding cesarean sections, was about ¥470,000, according to the health ministry.
