Japanese MP calls single women ‘burden on state’

A politician from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has issued a reluctant apology after suggesting that single women are a burden on the state.

Kanji Kato, 72, said he tells newlyweds that they need to have at least three children and those who fail to have families will end up living in nursing homes paid for with other people’s taxes. A number of female politicians condemned the attitude of Mr Kato, who has six children and eight grandchildren.