On June 4, the Japanese government said that the number of newborns born in 2024 had fallen below 700,000 - a record low since the country began counting in 1899.
Only 686,061 babies were born, a decrease of more than 41,000 births compared to 2023. This is also the 9th consecutive year that the number of births has decreased.
The birth rate - the average number of children a woman has in her life - also hit a new low of 1.15 times, lower than the most pessimistic prediction of the National Population and Social Security Research Institute (NIPSSR).
Previously, NIPSSR had thought that the above reduction would not be possible before 2039.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths in 2024 is more than 1.6 million, about 30,000 people higher than the previous year. Currently, Japan's net population decline has exceeded 919,000 people - the largest number ever recorded.
Japan's Ministry of Health expressed deep concern and pledged to continue measures to reverse this trend.
