Japan's fertility rate, number of births hit record lows in 2023

    TOKYO, June 5 Kyodo - The total fertility rate and number of births in Japan both fell for the eighth consecutive year in 2023 to hit fresh record lows, government data showed Wednesday, reflecting a rise in individuals choosing to marry later in life or not at all.

    The total fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman is estimated to bear in her lifetime -- fell to 1.20, the lowest since comparable data became available in 1947, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The previous low was 1.26 in 2005 and 2022.

    The number of babies born in Japan in 2023 also fell by 43,482 from the previous year to 727,277, the data showed, dropping to the 720,000 range 11 years earlier than projected by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research last year.

    Although legislation to counter the declining birthrate was enacted Wednesday, its effectiveness in reversing the downward trend remains uncertain.

    The new law focuses on providing support for raising children, such as expanding child allowance and benefits for childcare leave, but has few measures for individuals hoping to marry.

    The number of couples tying the knot in 2023 fell below 500,000 for the first time in 90 years to 474,717, its lowest level since World War II.

    While the fertility rate in Japan recovered to 1.45 in 2015 due to a boost from a second-baby boom generation born between 1971 and 1974 having children, it has been on a downward trend since 2016.

    The figure remains far below the fertility rate replacement level of 2.07 -- the average number of births per woman necessary to maintain the population.

    By prefecture, Tokyo recorded the lowest fertility rate at 0.99, followed by Hokkaido at 1.06 and Miyagi at 1.07.

    Okinawa in southern Japan had the highest rate at 1.60, followed by Nagasaki and Miyazaki prefectures at 1.49.

    Meanwhile, the number of deaths in Japan in 2023 rose to a record high of 1.58 million, with the population shrinking for the 17th consecutive year.

    Cancer was the leading cause of death at 24.3 percent, followed by heart disease at 14.7 percent, and old age at 12.1 percent.

==Kyodo