. >> reporter: mayor takino says the voices of the people are important. >> translator: i will take into consideration recommendations from those young women about what kind of community they want to live in. it will be a big challenge for me to reflect them in my policy. >> reporter: this professor says the challenge could become even bigger. he's one of population researchers involved in the study. >> translator: people are moving from rural areas to the tokyo metropolitan area. but even so if they can't bear and raise children here the population will rapidly decline all across japan. >> reporter: leaders from all levels of government are facing growing pressure to act before it's too late. jun yotsumoto, nhk world, tokyo. >>> officials with the world health organization have released the latest figures on the ebola epidemic. they say the number of confirmed or suspected cases of the virus in west africa has topped 20,000. of them 7,842 have died. liberia, sierra leone and guinea have been the hardest hit. health workers from the three countries are working with w.h.o. officials to tr