Annual births in Japan fall for 16th straight year amid deepening population crisis

By&nbspEuronews&nbspwith&nbspAP

Published on 05/06/2025 - 14:51 GMT+2

The number of newborns successful Japan is decreasing faster than projected, pinch nan number of yearly births falling to different grounds debased past year, according to caller authorities data.

The Health Ministry said 686,061 babies were calved successful Japan successful 2024, down 5.7 per cent from nan erstwhile twelvemonth and nan first clip nan number of newborns fell beneath 700,000 since records began successful 1899.

It's nan 16th consecutive twelvemonth of decline, and astir one-quarter of nan highest of 2.7 cardinal births successful 1949, during nan postwar babe boom.

The information successful a state of quickly ageing and shrinking organization adds to interest astir nan sustainability of nan system and nationalist information astatine a clip it seeks to summation defense spending.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has described nan business arsenic "a silent emergency".

He has promised to beforehand a much elastic moving situation and different measures that would thief joined couples to equilibrium activity and parenting, particularly successful agrarian areas wherever family values thin to beryllium much blimpish and harder connected women.

Falling commencement rates successful eastbound Asia

Japan is 1 of a number of eastbound Asian countries grappling pinch falling commencement rates and an ageing population. South Korea and China, for example, person fought for years to promote families to person much children.

And connected Wednesday, Vietnam scrapped decades-old laws limiting families to 2 children successful an effort to stem falling commencement rates.

The Health Ministry's latest information showed that Japan's fertility complaint – nan mean number of babies a female is expected to person successful her life – besides fell to a caller debased of 1.15 successful 2024, from 1.2 a twelvemonth earlier.

The number of marriages was somewhat up, to 485,063 couples, but nan downturn since nan 1970s remains unchanged.

Experts opportunity nan government's measures person not addressed a increasing number of young group reluctant to marry, mostly focusing connected already joined couples.

The younger procreation is progressively reluctant to wed aliases person children owed to bleak occupation prospects, a precocious costs of living, and a gender-biased firm civilization that adds other burdens for women and moving mothers, experts say.

A increasing number of women besides mention unit to return their husband's surname arsenic a logic for their reluctance to marry. Under Japanese law, couples must take a azygous surname to marry.

Japan's organization of astir 124 cardinal group is projected to autumn to 87 cardinal by 2070, pinch 40 per cent of nan organization complete 65.