Japan’s deputy prime minister apologises after blaming women for declining population

Opposition MPs accused Taro Aso of being insensitive to couples who want to have children but are unable to do so

Mr Aso’s comments came after government statistics revealed the number of births in 2018 fell to 921,000, the lowest since Japan began recording such statistics more than a century ago (Getty)

Japan’s deputy prime minister has been forced to apologise for blaming women who do not have children for problems linked to the country’s low birthrate and ageing population.

Taro Aso, who is also the finance minister, told a constituency meeting in Fukuoka over the weekend that older people were being unfairly singled out to explain the country’s demographic issues.

“There are lots of strange people who say the elderly people are to blame, but that is wrong. The problem is with those who didn't give birth,” he told the audience.

But Mr Aso, who has no children himself, retracted the claim after opposition MPs accused him of being insensitive to couples who want to have children but are not able to do so.

“If it made some people feel uncomfortable, I apologise,” he said on Tuesday.

The former prime minister, 78, is the latest conservative politician in prime minister Shinzo Abe’s government to blame the elderly or childless for long-term demographic trends and the country’s rising social security costs.

“He not only lacked consideration to those who choose not to or cannot have children, but he just doesn’t understand what the problem is,” said opposition politician Kiyomi Tsujimoto on Monday. “He has no sense of human rights.”

Mr Aso’s comments were almost identical to some he made in 2014, which also sparked criticism at the time.

Mr Aso’s latest intervention came after government statistics revealed the number of births in 2018 fell to 921,000 – the lowest since Japan began recording such statistics more than a century ago.

Japan’s total population fell by 448,000 people, a record decline, to 126 million. It is forecast to fall below 100 million by 2050, unless there is a huge influx of immigrants.

The trend has sparked warnings snowballing health and welfare costs for older people – along with a shrinking workforce – will increase pressure on the world’s third-biggest economy in coming decades.

Mr Aso said his latest remarks had been taken out of context and misunderstood.