Japan’s Birth Rate Declines Again, Plunging to a Record Low
A woman carrying a baby walks along a sidewalk in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Photographer: Akio Kon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japan posted the fewest births in its recorded history last year, continuing a seven-year decline that further aggravates the challenges of its rapidly aging society.
The number of newborns fell to 799,728 in 2022, down 5.1% from a year earlier, to lowest since it began record-keeping in 1899, according to data Japan’s health ministry released Tuesday. The number of deaths rose 8.9% to 1.58 million for the same period, it said.