The story of Kotoe Hashimoto, a Japanese writer and politician, who gave birth to her seventh child and became the object of heated discussions on social media because of it, started making headlines when she announced the birth of her baby, putting the emphasis on the demographic disaster in Japan.
Hashimoto’s Words
Commenting about the birth on the social media platform X, Hashimoto thanked her doctors, midwives, and nurses for their assistance during the delivery process. Later, she expressed her conviction that this is the time when Japanese women should have babies, as the country’s future depends on women taking up this responsibility.
I gave birth to my seventh child!
Thank you everyone for your support!
We would like to thank all the doctors, midwives, and nurses for their efforts. pic.twitter.com/DWrJUnvtnu— Kotoe Hashimoto (@HashimotoKotoe) August 28, 2026
Hospital Discharge and Further Public Reaction
After her discharge from the hospital on September 2, Hashimoto reported the same to her followers and thanked them again, noting also that the birth registration process had already been completed. Both mother and child were fine. Discussing government expenses for fertility programs, she noted that the money could be better spent somewhere else.
Japan’s Birth Rate Crisis Deepens
Her announcement comes against the backdrop of a demographic emergency in Japan. Government data released earlier this year showed just over 671,000 babies were born in 2025, nearly 15,000 fewer than the year before. This marked the tenth straight year of decline and the lowest figure since records began in 1899.
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A Shrinking Workforce and Falling Fertility
Japan has been grappling with record low births and a rapidly ageing, shrinking workforce for many years. The latest figures also confirmed a further slide in the country’s total fertility rate, which is now standing at 1.14, well below the level needed to sustain the population over time.
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Khushi Patel is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX, covering automotive, technology, Lifestyle, entertainment, and mainstream news. She previously worked as a Copy Editor at Times Network and has written automotive editorial content, including comparison pieces, for TimesDrive.
The post “Gave Birth To My 7th Child’: A Mother’s Message To Japanese Women Amid Record Slump In Birth Rate appeared first on NewsX.