Japan’s deputy prime minister has been forced to apologise for blaming women who do not have children for problems linked to the country’s low birthrate and ageing population.

Taro Aso, who is also the finance minister, told a constituency meeting in Fukuoka over the weekend that older people were being unfairly singled out to explain the country’s demographic issues.

“There are lots of strange people who say the elderly people are to blame, but that is wrong. The problem is with those who didn't give birth,” he told the audience.

But Mr Aso, who has no children himself, retracted the claim after opposition MPs accused him of being insensitive to couples who want to have children but are not able to do so.

“If it made some people feel uncomfortable, I apologise,” he said on Tuesday.

The former prime minister, 78, is the latest conservative politician in prime minister Shinzo Abe’s government to blame the elderly or childless for long-term demographic trends and the country’s rising social security costs.

Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Show all 15 1 /15 Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Residents follow moves made by humanoid robot 'Pepper' during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Funabashi Hiroshi from A Fun, repairs broken'AIBO's, pet dog robots, at his office in Kasama. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker wearing a 'HAL for care support' robot suit pushes a wheelchair at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Residents follow moves made by humanoid robot 'Pepper' during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki spends time with 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, which his father used for his rehabilitation at his house in Takahag.i Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident approaches humanoid robot 'Pepper' to pat its head during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker, wearing walking rehabilitation equipment 'Tree', helps a resident with his walking training at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki shows 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, to his bed-ridden mother at his house. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A broken'AIBO', a pet dog robot, waits for repair in A Fun's office in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident touches 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident touches robot seal 'PARO' at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki and his wife take care of his bed-ridden mother as 'AIBO', a pet dog robot walks around at his house in Takahagi. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker wearing a motion assist equipment 'Muscle Suit' carries a resident from a bed to a wheelchair at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, which Yoichi Suzuki's father used for his rehabilitation, is seen at Suzuki's house in Takahagi. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident claps to call 'AIBO', a pet dog robot at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters

“He not only lacked consideration to those who choose not to or cannot have children, but he just doesn’t understand what the problem is,” said opposition politician Kiyomi Tsujimoto on Monday. “He has no sense of human rights.”

Mr Aso’s comments were almost identical to some he made in 2014, which also sparked criticism at the time.

Mr Aso’s latest intervention came after government statistics revealed the number of births in 2018 fell to 921,000 – the lowest since Japan began recording such statistics more than a century ago.

Japan’s total population fell by 448,000 people, a record decline, to 126 million. It is forecast to fall below 100 million by 2050, unless there is a huge influx of immigrants.

The trend has sparked warnings snowballing health and welfare costs for older people – along with a shrinking workforce – will increase pressure on the world’s third-biggest economy in coming decades.