Funding tussle may scupper higher spending on babies

PM Kishida’s plan to lift spending on childcare would take the total outlay to the highest in the OECD. However, this likely won’t have much of an impact on the stubborn decline in fertility. After all, there’s been little to show for the increased spending implemented by past administrations. What’s more, the planned increase may not happen as Kishida will be hard-pressed to fund it, with both the electorate and his own party opposed to tax hikes.