Hashimoto Kotoe has just had her seventh child. 👶
In Japan, a country where fewer and fewer babies are being born, her announcement did not go unnoticed: it went viral, amassed more than 24 million views, and filled her post with messages of affection. She thanked the doctors, midwives, and nurses who accompanied her during childbirth one by one, as if every person who helped her deserved to be named.
But what moved people most was what she wrote afterward: that she believes “now is the time” and that Japan’s future depends, in part, on women like her who are willing to continue raising the next generation. 🇯🇵
On social media, people began calling her “a true patriot”. She only wanted to express her gratitude that her seventh child arrived safely.
