News Japan's fertility rate drops again, Tokyo under 1.00

Japan's total fertility rate, which measures the average number of births per woman during her reproductive years, has declined for the eighth consecutive year. In 2023, the rate reached a record low of 1.20, down 0.06 points from the previous year. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare calculates this rate by adding the birth rate for women aged between 15 and 49. This decline in fertility poses significant demographic challenges for Japan.

The birth rate in Tokyo fell below 1.0 for the first time, standing at 0.99, the lowest among Japan's 47 prefectures. Okinawa had the highest birth rate at 1.60 but declined from the previous year's 1.70. Nationwide, the total number of births to Japanese citizens residing in the country was 727,277 in 2023, down 5.6% from the previous year. The natural population decline increased by 6.3% to 848,659, continuing a trend that has persisted for 17 years since 2007.

The number of Japanese children born in Tokyo in 2023 was 86,347, the lowest since the end of World War II. A representative of the metropolitan government said on June 5 that officials are taking the latest figures "very seriously." The government views this as the "last chance" to make a change and "will continue to work for the realization of a society where people can have children and raise them with peace of mind," the representative said. Another Tokyo official said more people in the capital are remaining single or marrying later in life, and an increasing number of married couples are deciding not to have children. According to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in 2021, 80 percent of unwed men and women nationwide between 18 and 34 years old said they "intend to get married eventually."

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