Fumio Kishida says lifting the birthrate ‘cannot wait’ yet policies stick to scripts that have so far failed to address the country’s population crisis

Fumio Kishida is not a politician given to dramatic pronouncements. But this week he issued a stark warning to the Japanese people: have more children, or risk dragging their country into the depths of dysfunction.

His shift in persona from bland career politician to doomsayer in chief is a reflection of the demographic crisis facing Japan, one of the fastest-ageing countries on earth.