By KENJIRO TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
November 6, 2024 at 18:11 JST
The number of children in Japan continues to decline. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The number of births of Japanese children in the first half of 2024 has continued its alarming downward trend, with only 329,998 babies born between January and June.
If this pace continues, the country’s annual birth count will fall below 700,000 for the first time since 1947, when comparative statistics became available.
On Nov. 5, the welfare ministry released preliminary population statistics, revealing a decrease of 22,242 births, a 6.3 percent drop, compared to the same period last year.
In 2023, births had already fallen by 14,992 from the previous year, a 4.1 percent decline, indicating the ongoing struggle to reverse Japan’s shrinking population.
The number of births first dipped below 1 million in 2016, and the trend has worsened with each passing year.
In 2022, the figure dropped below 800,000 for the first time, further highlighting the country’s demographic challenges.
Despite the series of measures the government has introduced over the years, there are no signs that these policies are proving effective in reversing the trend.
Japan’s births in January plunge 14.6 percent amid pandemic
March 25, 2021
Births expected to fall below 800,000 in 2021; pandemic cited
December 28, 2020
Number of births plummets to under record-low 800,000 in 2022
June 2, 2023
Japan reports fewest births last year; marriages hit postwar low
February 27, 2024
Number of births falls by 6.4% in Japan in first quarter of 2024
May 28, 2024
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