Editorial

17:04 JST, June 6, 2025

Despite the various measures taken by the central and local governments, the birth rate is declining only at an accelerating pace.

It is essential that society as a whole support childbirth and child rearing so that those who are considering marriage and having children actually want to do so. The mindset of young people should also be encouraged to change.

The central government has released Japan’s vital statistics for 2024. The number of babies born as Japanese citizens was 686,061, falling below 700,000 for the first time since statistics began in 1899.

The total fertility rate, which indicates the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, also fell to 1.15, below the previous record low of 1.20 in 2023.

The number of births exceeded 2 million a year from 1971 to 1974, the period called the second baby boom. It then gradually declined, falling below 1 million for the first time in 2016. This means that in just eight years since then, the number of births decreased by about 30%.

Meanwhile, the number of marriages was only 485,063, the second lowest postwar figure after the 474,741 in 2023.

In its Children’s Future Strategy formulated in 2023, the government removed the income limits for the child allowance and also extended its duration from through junior high school age to through high school age. Benefits for company employees and other workers........

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