By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International - A few weeks ago, the prime minister of Japan had a startling message for his citizens. The country, said Fumio Kishida during a speech to lawmakers, is “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions.”... The reason for this dire warning? The country’s rock-bottom birth rate... the nation’s measly birth rate of 1.3 children born per women, far below the replacement rate of about 2.1 children per woman.