Expert Panel Established to Tackle Population Decline; Will Work with South Korea to Research Low Birthrates, Aging Population

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:55 JST, October 28, 2025

A panel of private-sector experts was launched on Monday to discuss countermeasures against population decline. Named “Mirai wo Sentaku Suru Kaigi” (conference for choosing the future), make policy recommendations to the government, incorporating the perspectives of young people and women. It will also publish an annual “population white paper” summarizing its research findings. The panel plans to advance joint research with South Korea, where low birthrates and an aging population are also severe issues.

This group is effectively a successor organization to the “Population Strategy Council,” which previously drew attention for publishing a list of municipalities at risk of disappearing.

The new panel comprises representatives from economic organizations, academics and local government leaders. Akio Mimura, Honorary Chairman of Nippon Steel Corp., serves as chairperson. Five others, including former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Hiroya Masuda and Tomoko Yoshino, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, will act as co-representatives along with Mimura.

The group will establish a specialized team of women and young people and conduct annual public surveys.

“We’ll look into what troubles young people and women and what we can do about it. We aim to propose policies that will resonate with them,” said Mimura at a press conference on Monday.

The panel also intends to establish a joint Japanese-South Korean consultative body led by the private sector and hold symposiums in both countries.

A commemorative symposium was held in Tokyo on the day. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a message that read, “Population decline and low birth rates are critical issues that threaten the maintenance of social security, regional vitality and the very sustainability of the nation.”

Govt mulls population decline HQ

The government has begun considering establishing a new organization to serve as a control tower for addressing population decline, tentatively named the “headquarters to counter population decline,” within the year, according to government sources.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has positioned population decline as “Japan’s biggest problem” and indicated that she intends to strengthen government frameworks to tackle the issue, with this new body overseeing relevant ministries and agencies.

Addressing population decline requires diverse policies, including support for child-rearing households, measures against low birth rates and keeping young people from leaving regional areas. Responsibility is currently divided among ministries such as the Cabinet Office, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Children and Families Agency. The new organization would oversee efforts across ministries, providing necessary coordination and direction. The appointment of a specific minister to oversee these efforts is also under consideration.

It would also collaborate with the “conference for choosing the future.” The coalition agreement signed by the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party on Oct. 20 explicitly stated that a command center to tackle population decline would be established during the current Diet session.