Japanese writer and former political candidate Kotoe Hashimoto has gone viral after announcing the birth of her seventh child and linking the milestone to Japan's worsening population crisis. Hashimoto said she believes 'now is the time for Japanese women to have children,' sparking a wider online debate as the country faces record-low birth numbers and a rapidly aging population. Japan recorded just 671,236 births among Japanese nationals in 2025, while its fertility rate fell to a historic low of 1.14. 📸 X HashimotoKotoe #japan #birthrate #news #viral