Japan's Health Minister drew criticism for describing women as "birth-giving machines" in a speech on the falling birth rate, as the government announced a council to craft strategies to tackle the country's shrinking population.

"The number of women between the ages of 15 and 50 is fixed. The number of birth-giving machines (and) devices is fixed, so all we can ask is that they do their best per head," Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa said in a speech.

Yanagisawa reportedly apologized even as he made the remarks, and later told Kyodo News agency the language he used was "too uncivil." But Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama was unmoved by his expression of regret:

"It was extremely rude to women. Having children or not having children is naturally a matter that women and households are free (to decide themselves)."

Japan's population of 127 million contracted for the first time on record in 2005, mostly because of a drop in the birth rate, raising the prospect of severe labour shortages and difficulties in paying health bills and pensions for large numbers of elderly.

The country's birth rate was 1.26 babies per woman in her lifetime in 2005, a record low, and Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has said his government wants to develop measures to encourage more couples to have children.

A proposal adopted in June 2006 calls for increasing child care, promoting greater gender equality, and encouraging companies to be more flexible in allowing staff time to take care of family responsibilities.

However, the high cost of raising children, as well as the lingering notion that women should quit their jobs after giving birth, has meant many opt to have few or no children.

Associated Press reported in Push Journal 29/Jan/07
http://www.pushjournal.org/