The country is more concerned than ever about the falling birthrate, according to a Cabinet Office survey released Saturday.
A record 30.7 percent of people polled said the government should take steps designed to raise the birthrate, according to the survey on public views on people's lives.
A similar survey in 2001 found that only 11.6 percent of those polled wanted the government to take steps to encourage households to have more children.
Women in their 30s were the group most concerned about the falling birthrate in the latest survey, with 39.3 percent wanting government action on the issue, followed by women in their 20s, with 36.4 percent wanting such action.
The Cabinet Office polled 10,000 adults across Japan from June 23 to July 3. It obtained answers from 6,924.
A government report in June said Japan's total fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman gives birth to during her lifetime -- came to 1.2888 last year. It was below 1.29 for the first time and marked an all-time low for the fourth straight year.
The Cabinet Office survey showed 61.3 percent of those polled are concerned about the social security system, asking the government to do something to improve the medical insurance and pension systems. The figure was down 6.4 percentage points from the 2004 survey.