Editorial

17:44 JST, February 3, 2025

China, following Japan and South Korea, has entered an era of full-fledged population decline. What should be done to halt the low birth rate and maintain social and economic vitality? This is a serious task faced by the countries.

The population of mainland China totaled 1.40828 billion at the end of 2024, down 1.39 million from the previous year. The country’s population began to fall in 2022 and declined for three consecutive years for the first time since the country’s founding in 1949.

Births increased for the first time in eight years to 9.54 million, up 520,000 from the previous year. Last year was the Year of the Dragon, traditionally considered a year of good fortune, and that is believed to have contributed to the increase. However, the number of births fell below 10........

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