In the middle of September, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry released a set of countermeasures to address the declining birthrate, which Chikara Sakaguchi -- the head of the ministry -- has said will "sink Japan" if it remains as low as it is.
The measures comprise three main schemes: making employment and parenthood compatible, helping parents cope with the difficulties of child-rearing, and promoting parenthood to the next generation. Though some of these measures are more concrete than others, they all address specific obstacles.
In terms of the employment obstacle, which is considered the main reason married people aren't having children, the ministry advocates reduced overtime, paid parental leave and more available day care, ideas that are more or less institutionalized in Europe. Consequently, whenever the media wants to give people an idea of what Japan should aim for with regard to increasing its birthrate,they go to Europe.