A first lady's anguish

Akie Abe's remarks to a magazine were remarkably frank for a Japanese first lady, reflecting her effort to show a more human side of her husband, Japan's youngest post-World War II premier.

Shinzo Abe, 52, has pledged to encourage Japanese to have more children to reverse a declining birthrate, triggering media speculation as to why he is childless himself.

In an interview with the monthly magazine Bungei Shunju, Akie Abe, 44, confessed she felt strong pressure to bear children because her husband is a third-generation politician.

"Coming from a household of politicians, there was of course a lot of pressure, including from local constituents. But now it has become difficult, in part because of my age, so people no longer tell me to keep at it," she said.

"At the early stage, I did go through fertility treatment. But I think that I should accept my fate -- that I am the wife of a politician who became prime minister, and that we did not have the gift of having children."