May 05 (NHK) - On a national holiday dedicated to children, the latest data shows Japan's child population has dropped for the 42nd straight year.
The internal affairs ministry estimates that the number of children aged 14 or younger was 14.35 million as of April 1, down 300,000 from the previous year. Of the total, boys accounted for 7.35 million and girls 7 million.
The figure has continued to shrink since 1982.
There were 3.21 million children aged between 12 and 14, while 3.08 million were aged 9 to 11, 2.96 million aged 6 to 8, 2.67 million aged 3 to 5, and 2.43 million aged 0 to 2.
The ratio of children in the total population also fell to 11.5 percent, marking the 49th consecutive year of decline. ...continue reading
Source: ANNnewsCH