Japan recorded 686,061 births – the lowest number since records began in 1899.
Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has described the lowest number of birth of Japan as a “quiet emergency”, pledging family-friendly policies such as free childcare and more flexible work hours.
But efforts to reverse the perennially low birth rates among Japanese women have so far made little impact.
New data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed the number of Japanese nationals fell by 908,574 in 2024.
