Japanese author Kotoe Hashimoto goes viral after giving birth to seventh child

Birth rates in Japan may be slowly crawling higher - 2026’s figure was only 0.8 per cent more than the previous year, according to figures by  the country's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare – but it’s still rare to see multiple children of varied age groups in the same family. Unless you are 37-year-old Japanese author and former political candidate Kotoe Hashimoto, who just went viral for posting about the birth of her SEVENTH child.

Hashimoto announced her big news on social media in August, thanking all the people who had helped her along her journey. She wrote alongside a photo of her newborn: "I have given birth to my seventh child! Thank you all for your support and encouragement! I express my deepest gratitude to the doctors, midwives, and nurses for their dedicated efforts.”

She also urged other Japanese women to consider expanding their own broods.

In another post, she said the nation’s future depends on women. She wrote: "I believe that now is the time for Japanese women to have children. The rise and fall of our nation depends on the active role of women.”

She announced on September 2 that she was discharged from the hospital. "Thank you all so much for your warm support. Please watch over this child as they begin their journey as a Japanese citizen, with the birth registration submitted," she added.

She let followers know that both she and her child are doing well.