Fertility crash: Japan's births headed below 900,000 this year

Oct 07, 2019 | News On Japan

Oct 07, 2019 (Nikkei) - The number of babies born in Japan is declining even faster than expected, highlighting the need to support families in order to avert even greater strain on the nation's social safety net and economy.

Births during the January-July period fell 5.9% on the year to 518,590, the sharpest drop in 30 years, preliminary figures from the health ministry show. This marks the fourth straight yearly decline and a steeper fall than the 2% decrease for the first seven months of 2018.

Japan is on pace to slip below 900,000 births this year, after breaching the threshold of 1 million in 2016.

"This is because echo baby boomers are reaching the end of child-bearing age," said Takumi Fujinami at the Japan Research Institute. Those born between 1971 and 1974 will all be 45 years old or more this year.

The number of women of child-bearing age is declining rapidly. Data from October 2018 shows 9.07 million Japanese women in their 40s, compared with 6.96 million in their 30s and just 5.78 million in their 20s.

Japan's fertility rate -- the average number of children born per woman -- declined in 2018 for the third straight year to 1.42. The government has sought to boost this figure by building day care centers and encouraging workers to take maternity and paternity leave, with little success.

The January-July figures include babies born to foreigners in Japan as well as Japanese babies born abroad. The government excludes these roughly 30,000 babies from the official count, which totaled 918,000 in 2018. The rate of decline suggests the tally for 2019 could fall short of 900,000, even if foreigners are included.

Eight Confirmed Dead in Chiba Floods

The death toll from the record-breaking heavy rain in Chiba Prefecture has risen to eight, with one person still missing and damage reported to at least 170 homes as flooding, landslides, water outages and transport disruptions continued on August 14.

Aso Volcano Eruption Alert Level Raised to 3 in Kumamoto

Japan's weather agency raised the volcanic alert level for Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture from Level 2 to Level 3 on August 14 after volcanic tremors strengthened and gas emissions increased sharply, warning people to stay away from areas within about 2 kilometers of the Nakadake No. 1 crater.

Typhoon No. 17 Could Bring Sudden Swells to Pacific Beaches

Typhoon No. 17 (Nangka) remained near Minamitorishima as of 3 a.m. on August 14 and is expected to stay relatively weak, but forecasters warned that high waves and sudden swells could affect Japan's Pacific coast, posing a risk to swimmers and others enjoying marine activities during the summer holiday period.

Google Opens Flagship Store in Tokyo's Omotesando

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.

Jellyfish-Like Red Glow Lights Up Kanagawa

A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Pythons Escape From Apartment in Kawasaki

Two pet pythons measuring about 2 meters in length escaped from an apartment in Kawasaki's Tama Ward early on August 13, prompting police and firefighters to search the surrounding residential area and warn local residents.

The Unseen Reality of Kumamoto Quake Survivors

Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.

Teens on Stolen Motorcycle Fire Rockets at Police Officers

Two teenage boys from Tokyo's Adachi Ward have been arrested on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and firing aerial fireworks toward police officers at two police boxes, telling investigators they were annoyed that a new police box had opened in the area.

Japanese Woman Trapped in North Korea for 40 Years

Hiroko Saito was 19 years old when she left Japan for North Korea in June 1961 with her Korean husband and their one-year-old daughter, persuaded by assurances that they were heading to a "paradise on earth" and that she could return to Japan after three years. Instead, she would spend four decades in North Korea, enduring chronic hunger, the deaths of her husband and children and a desperate struggle to survive before finally escaping and returning home in 2001.