The birth rate in Japan continued to decline in the first half of this year, deepening a trend Tokyo says will be irreversible by the next decade.
Asia’s second-largest economy faces a severe demographic challenge, with its aging population poised to strain social welfare and threaten a number of industries, including education. National and local governments have introduced measures like increased childcare spending and immigration reforms to counter the crisis.
Japan recorded 350,074 births between January and June, an almost 6 percent drop compared to last year, according to health ministry data. This figure is the lowest since 1969, when Tokyo began reporting the biannual statistic. It also marks the third-consecutive year with fewer than 400,000 births in the first six months, and a sharper decline than the 3.6 percent drop in the year-earlier period.
Meanwhile, 811,819 deaths were reported in the super-aged society, a rise of nearly 2 percent from the January-June period in 2023—another 55-year record, according to local media.
Sumo wrestlers hold children during their “crying baby sumo” match at the Sensoji temple in Tokyo. Births in Japan for the January-June period tumbled further this year.
Philip Fong/AFP via Getty
Japanese health minister, Keizo Takemi, called the situation “extremely critical” at a press conference Tuesday. He warned that the number of young people will sharply decrease in the 2030s, calling the next six years Japan’s “last chance.”
“We are constantly thinking about how to implement effective measures to address the declining birth rate without waiting for this period,” Takemi added.
He stressed that the ministry has requested a budget including measures to raise wages among younger Japanese and expand access to childcare and postnatal parental leave to encourage child-rearing.
These statistics were released as Japan‘s parliament approved a revision to legislation aimed at boosting support for current parents by expanding financial aid, parental leave and childcare access.
Funding will come from the $34 billion earmarked for childcare and family support in the fiscal year 2024 budget. The government plans to allocate $23 billion in taxes toward this effort over three years.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made boosting the birth rate a national priority, previously pledging to double national childcare spending within a decade.
Analysts have noted that Japanese policymakers have concentrated on helping families with children but have not addressed the concerns of younger people, who are hesitant to start families due to career pressures and financial challenges.
“Simple economic support, such as increasing benefits, will not easily solve the serious problem of the declining birth rate,” economist Takahide Kiuchi wrote in a June report for Japan’s Nomura Research Institute.
The economist noted that Japan’s conservative mindset surrounding child-rearing, particularly the heavy burden placed on women, needs to change. More than 80 percent of women take parental leave, compared to just 14 percent of men, most of whom take less than two weeks.
The fertility rate in Japan, or average number of children expected per woman during her lifetime, dipped to a record low of 1.2 last year. Meanwhile, people aged 65 and over now account for 30 percent of the population, making Japan a so-called super-aged society.
Newsweek reached out to the Japanese health ministry with a written request for comment.
