Society Japan records fewest births since 1899

[thomas]

New government data show that the number of births reached 686,061 in 2024, a decline of 5.7% from the previous year and the lowest since statistics were first recorded in 1899.

Japan's ongoing efforts to boost its declining birth rate have taken on new urgency following the release of government data revealing that the annual number of births fell below 700,000 in 2024—an unprecedented low since official records began in 1899.

According to figures published this week, only 686,061 births were registered in 2023, representing a 5.7% decrease from the previous year. This total does not include children born to non-Japanese residents. The country's fertility rate—the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime—also declined, dropping to an all-time low of 1.15 from the previous year's 1.20, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This figure remains far below the replacement rate of 2.1 necessary to maintain a stable population.

In contrast, the number of deaths continued to rise, reaching 1.6 million in 2024, a 1.9% increase from the year before. Both the number of births and the fertility rate have now fallen for nine consecutive years. Despite this, there was a modest uptick in marriages, which are a critical factor in shaping birth trends in Japan, where births outside of marriage remain relatively uncommon. In 2024, the number of marriages rose to 485,063—an increase of 10,322 from the previous year, marking the first increase in two years since the figure dropped below half a million. However, this rise has not reversed the long-term decline in marriage rates that has persisted since the 1970s.

Japan records lowest number of births in more than a century, as population fears grow

New government data shows the number of births reached 686,061 in 2024, a decline of 5.7% from the previous year and the lowest since statistics were first kept in 1899

www.theguardian.com

Paywall alert:

Japan's number of births hits new low, falling by 5.7% in 2024

Fertility rate still dropping despite more marriages, straining the economy

asia.nikkei.com

 

[Ukigumo]

I think the answer is clear; ban anime/manga, gaming and idols. These are very popular in Japan and therefore must be the reason in declining birth rates.

 

[Ukigumo]

It seems too many Japanese men are 'herbivores' and too shy to approach Japanese women for fear of being rejected. Japanese women won't approach a Japanese man because they like yo be 'approached'. Hmmm, can you spot the problem in that?

 

[mdchachi]

It seems too many Japanese men are 'herbivores' and too shy to approach Japanese women for fear of being rejected. Japanese women won't approach a Japanese man because they like yo be 'approached'. Hmmm, can you spot the problem in that?

There's an app for that.

 

[Ukigumo]

There's an app for that.

Minecraft?

The Japanese are well known for being untechnological, so an app won't help them.

 

[salyavin]

I am of the opinion the larger problem is economic. People want a steady job with a decent salary before they choose to marry and have children.
The next problem is access to things like day care. Stay at home mothers are not as common these days so getting into daycare is a
challenge. Being a stay at home mother is difficult as wages vs costs are not as good as they used to be so a single earner is hard
er. Then many are opting for personal fullfilment as you did Ukigumo these days more are choosing to do their own thing instead of
spending all their time taking care of a family. This is happening in the west too those countries are using immigration to counter
balance that but Japan has chosen not to. Many even find a significant other a pain to deal with inferring in their enjoyment. Only at the end would I put herbivore men, in my personal opinion.

 

[Ukigumo]

I think all these points are valid but exactly the same throughout the (Western) world.

I am of the opinion the larger problem is economic. People want a steady job with a decent salary before they choose to marry and have children.
The next problem is access to things like day care. Stay at home mothers are not as common these days so getting into daycare is a
challenge. Being a stay at home mother is difficult as wages vs costs are not as good as they used to be so a single earner is hard
er.

In the UK, couples work and one salary, in almost its entirety, goes on child day care; one parent works to simply get out of the house!

Then many are opting for personal fullfilment as you did Ukigumo these days more are choosing to do their own thing instead of
spending all their time taking care of a family.

But why? Why are Japanese people no longer finding child rearing a fulfilling life choice? What alternative do they think is a better option?

This is happening in the west too those countries are using immigration to counter balance that but Japan has chosen not to.

I think people in the UK (Reform voters) are doing all they can to voice their desire to reduce immigration.

Many even find a significant other a pain to deal with inferring in their enjoyment.

Any idea what they're finding more fulfilling?

Only at the end would I put herbivore men, in my personal opinion.

It could be argued that there is a biological drive to find a male suitor who is masculine ('good' genes) and is sufficiently robust to protect and provide food for a family, even if that drive is well-buried below the veneer of modern civilisation. If the most exercise a Japanese man gets is twitching his fingers over a games console controller, if his interpersonal skills are atrophied by only engaging in online interactions and his confidence withered because he can't live up to the heroes he idolizes in anime/manga then I can see why Japanese women don't wish to bother with the dating game. It strikes me that a reasonably fit, tall, humorous, economically well-heeled and articulate Western man would be very popular in Japan, especially if they were an academic neuroscientist

 

[mdchachi]

The Japanese are well known for being untechnological, so an app won't help them.

10 popular dating apps in Japan

It’s no secret that Japan’s birth rate is declining. Recently, the Tokyo government announced that it would launch a dating app to address the issue, at least within the capital. The announcement quickly went viral, but the app joins a long lineup of dating apps in Japan. Whether or not this app...

japantoday.com

It strikes me that a reasonably fit, tall, humorous, economically well-heeled and articulate Western man would be very popular in Japan, especially if they were an academic neuroscientist

I would think so. Let us know how it goes!

 

[Ukigumo]

10 popular dating apps in Japan

It’s no secret that Japan’s birth rate is declining. Recently, the Tokyo government announced that it would launch a dating app to address the issue, at least within the capital. The announcement quickly went viral, but the app joins a long lineup of dating apps in Japan. Whether or not this app...

japantoday.com

I would think so. Let us know how it goes!

If only I were tall and my other half didn't object…

 

[thomas]

The FT on Japan's ticking demographic bomb:

​

Japan has just realised that the latest demographic data exceeds the government's worst predictions:

Public and political concern deepened after Japan's latest population figures revealed a far sharper decline than expected. Government demographers had predicted in 2023 that annual births would not fall into the 680,000 range until 2039; yet, that threshold was reached 15 years earlier, in 2024. Experts stressed that this was a critical failure, as the government bases its economic and fiscal planning on those projections. Revising the forecast downward now, said Mizuho Securities strategist Masatoshi Kikuchi, would be tantamount to admitting long-standing policy missteps. Demographer Takashi Inoue of Aoyama Gakuin University added that the worst-case fertility scenario had materialised — and should have been adopted as the working assumption from the start.

Source: Japan urged to use gloomier population forecasts after plunge in births