Births in Japan fall another 6% in first half

TOKYO – The number of babies born to Japanese nationals in Japan fell 6.3% in the first half of this year from a year earlier to 329,998, government data showed on Tuesday, as the number of marriages continues to decline amid shifting values.
The preliminary data for the six-month period by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare suggests total births for the full year in the rapidly ageing country may dip below 700,000 for the first time.
More Japanese are choosing not to marry or are delaying marriage until later in life, and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are also thought to have reduced the number of those tying the knot and having children.
The comparable number of births in the first half of 2023 was 352,240, with a full-year total of 727,277.
In 2022, the number of newborns in Japan fell below 800,000 for the first time since 1899.
The country’s current population is estimated to be 123.9 million. That is a decline from 128 million in 2010.