Japanese city becomes first to subsidise epidurals to encourage more women to have children

Tokyo is considering a subsidy for epidural childbirths in the 2025 fiscal year in an attempt to reverse the city’s declining birthrate.

Japan’s birthrate, which is defined as the average number of children per woman, dropped to a record low of 1.20 in 2023. The fall was the most severe in the capital Tokyo, where the birthrate fell below 1 for the first time.