Japan’s new birth declines again, plunging to a record low

Tokyo: Japan recorded the biggest fall in new births last year as the number of babies dropped below 800,000 for the first time since records began in 1899, government data revealed on Tuesday.According to the data, the number of births was down 5.1% to 799,728. “Excluding children born to foreign parents, the approximate number of births is estimated to be around 770,000.” It is also the seventh consecutive year that the number of babies born in the country continued to fall.“Lifestyle changes resulting from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and a growing trend of people marrying later in life are thought to have exacerbated the declining birthrate,” according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.The number of deaths last year “hit a record high of 1,582,033, up 129,744.” Since 1973, when the number of new births peaked at around 2.09 million, Japan has seen a decline in the number of new births.A decade later, in 1984, Japan's new births had fallen to 1.5 million. In 2016, there were less than a million new babies.Last month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his government will prioritize policies aimed at facilitating child-rearing, which is “the most effective investment for the future.”Kishida warned the nation of around 126 million people, also grappling with an ageing population, was “on the brink of losing its social function due to its rapidly declining birthrate.”Earlier, in January this year, Kishida said Japan's low birth rate and ageing population pose an urgent risk to society. He also pledged to address the issue by establishing a new government agency."Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society. Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed,” he had said.Concerned over the declining birth rate, he said that the government will launch the new Children and Families Agency in April which aims to support parents and ensure the "sustainability" of the world's third-largest economy.Birth rates are declining in many developed countries, but in Japan, the issue is particularly acute because it has the world's second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over, after the tiny state of Monaco, according to World Bank data.Japan has a population of 125 million and has long struggled with how to provide for its fast-growing number of elderly residents.Birth rates are slowing in many countries including Japan's closest neighbours, due to factors including rising living costs, more women entering the workforce and people choosing to have children later.Official data showed last week that China's population shrank in 2022, for the first time in more than six decades.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.