The Japanese government has drawn up a draft package of measures designed to reverse the country's falling birthrate. It calls for boosting financial support for child-rearing households.

The government presented the package to a panel of experts on Thursday.

It says the government will spend about 3.5 trillion yen, or 25 billion dollars, annually over the next three years to focus on the issue.

The government plans to secure funding for the measures by reviewing fiscal spending and other means. It says discussions will continue on specific revenue sources.

The draft says the government will remove the limit on household income in providing child-rearing allowances to parents. The coverage will be expanded to children in senior high school.

The draft says the monthly allowance will be 15,000 yen, or about 107 dollars, for each child from newborns to 2 years old. The payment will be 10,000 yen for each child from 3 years old through senior high school.

The government plans to increase the allowance for each child to 30,000 yen for parents with at least three children from birth through senior high school.

It aims to implement the changes during the next fiscal year. It plans to consider what to do with tax deductions for dependents now available for parents of senior high school students.

The draft says the government will study ways to increase financial support for childbirth further. They will include having childbirth expenses covered by public health insurance, possibly from fiscal 2026.

The government will also draw up measures to ease the financial burden in receiving higher education.

The government says it will expand the eligibility for students to have a reduction or exemption of tuition fees, or receive grant-type scholarships.

The change would make university students majoring in science or those from families with many children eligible for such benefits, if their household annual income is 6 million yen or less.

Starting next fiscal year, the government plans to allow any child to attend a nursery school or day-care center, even if his or her parents do not have jobs.

It also aims to raise benefits for childcare leave, starting in fiscal 2025, so the disposable income of a family will not change for up to four weeks, even if both parents take leave.

To secure funds for these schemes, the government plans to establish a new support system by fiscal 2028 to have the whole of society bear the burden of increased spending on children. It will review social security spending and consider utilizing social insurance programs.

The government says it will issue special bonds to make up for the shortage of funds until the system is set up.

The government stresses that it will make a thorough reform of fiscal spending so that the increased allocation for childrearing will not require people to bear an additional burden.

It says it does not plan to raise taxes for the planned child-rearing projects.

The government says it will reach a conclusion on the details of the new support system by the end of the year.

It plans to introduce legislation needed to set up a new special account and implement other changes to next year's regular Diet session.

The government says the package will increase the annual budget of the Children and Families Agency by about 50 percent from the current level of nearly 5 trillion yen. It aims to double the budget by the early 2030s.

The government plans to finalize the package by the end of this month as a strategy for children's future, after discussing with the ruling coalition parties.