The number of births in Japan in 2024 is likely to fall under 700,000 for the first time after government data showed Tuesday that the figure in the first half fell 6.3 percent from a year earlier to 329,998.
The figure for the first six months of this year, which does not include foreigners, reflects the birth rate remaining at record lows in the past years, as more people choose not to marry or delay marriage and having children until later in life.
The number of deaths in the first half increased 1.8 percent from the same period last year to 800,274, and the natural decrease, subtracted from the number of births, stood at 470,276, according to the data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
With its population declining for the 15th consecutive year in 2023, Japan faces labor shortages that threaten the sustainability of social security systems, such as health care and pensions, while local government services could collapse.
The government seeks to raise the birth rate by expanding child care allowances and providing benefits for taking parental leave, among other measures, as it considers the period up until the early 2030s the “last chance” to reverse the birthrate crisis.
The comparable number of births in the first half of 2023 was 352,240, with a full-year total of 727,277.
Preliminary data released by the ministry in August showed that the number of babies born in Japan, including to foreigners, as well as to Japanese citizens residing overseas, fell 5.7 percent from a year earlier to 350,074 in the January to June period.
