Daily bread 01/11/2018

• A small town in Japan doubles its fertility rate - Cash for kids

  • A small town in Japan doubles its fertility rate
  • a baby bonanza
  • remote corner of the country
  • the local government increased incentives to have babies
  • receive a “celebratory” gift of ¥300,000 ($3,530) when she gives birth
  • subsidised baby-sitting service is available for just ¥1,800 a day, along with subsidised carseats and other baby accessories.
  • she will receive ¥90,000 a year for each one who attends.
  • all but the poorest and the old in Japan have to pay 30% of their health-care bills (with the national government picking up the rest), in Nagicho the local government pays the 30% for children.
  • relies on a network of volunteers to help keep its two nurseries open
  • Businesses that move to the town receive rent-free land
  • a clutch of refurbished or newly built apartments and houses for rent at subsidised rates
  • Nagicho has lost a third of its population since 1955, and a third of the 6,100 residents who remain are over 65
  • Deaths outstripped births by a record 300,000 in 2016
  • The town’s dilemma is replicated across the country
  • projections say the population of 127m could plummet by a third over the next 50 years
  • Perhaps there is something in the water

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.