Birth rate in Japan hits record low

Despite the country's extensive efforts to increase birth rate, the number of registered births in Japan fell to 799,728 last year which is a new record low.

This statistic was released by Japan's Ministry of Health on Tuesday (28 February). The number of recorded births was 125.5 million in 2021, reports CNN.

With births outpacing deaths for more than a decade now, Japan is battling with a mounting crisis. As demand from the ageing population soars, they now have to contend with a growing older population and a declining workforce to pay for pensions and healthcare.

Japan's population has been in steady decline since its economic boom of the 1980s and stood at 125.5 million in 2021, according to the most recent government figures.

Its fertility rate of 1.3 is far below the rate of 2.1 required to maintain a stable population, in the absence of immigration.

"Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society," Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told lawmakers.

"Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed."

He said that he eventually wants the government to double its spending on child-related programmes. A new government agency to focus on the issue would be set up in April, he added.

Several reasons contribute to declining birth rates, including rising living costs, more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children.