Japanese government tells couples having babies is fun

London, May 9 (ANI): In a bid to battle the declining birth rate, Japanese government officials are encouraging couples to procreate, insisting it is fun to have babies.

According to an official report issued, the number of people under 15 years were estimated to have fallen for the 28th consecutive year to 17.14 million, making only 13.4 per cent of the total population.

And the lack of babies could leave Japan facing troubles in paying off huge national debt and funding healthcare and pensions in the future.

Hence, government representatives are doing their bit to convince people to have a larger brood.

Yuko Obuchi, who heads the government's campaign to encourage people to have more babies, said it was a "free decision", and not "a question of national duty".

"We tend to hear a lot of stories about how tough it is, but we have to get the message across that bringing up children is something that's full of fun and joy," Sky News quoted her as saying.

The first cabinet minister to be pregnant in office further suggested a more comprehensive plan must be put into use if the country wanted to tackle the problem. (ANI)