Tokyo (TDI): Japan recorded a decline in births for the 10th consecutive year in 2025, according to preliminary data released Thursday, underscoring a growing demographic challenge for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
A total of 705,809 babies were born last year, a 2.1% drop from 2024. The figures cover births to Japanese nationals in Japan, births of foreign nationals in Japan, and children born to Japanese citizens overseas.
Meanwhile, marriages rose slightly to 505,656 couples, an increase of 1.1%, while divorces fell 3.7% to 182,969 cases. Deaths numbered 1,605,654, down 0.8% from the previous year.
Japan’s internal affairs ministry estimated the country’s population at 122.86 million in February, a decrease of 580,000, or 0.47%, compared with a year ago.
The world’s fourth-largest economy continues to face one of the lowest birth rates globally, coupled with an ageing population. The demographic shift is contributing to labour shortages, rising social security costs, and fewer workers contributing taxes, adding further strain to Japan’s already massive public debt.
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Statistics show that nearly 100,000 people in Japan are aged 100 or older, with women making up almost 90% of that group. Rural areas are particularly affected, with roughly four million abandoned homes and over 40% of municipalities at risk of disappearing entirely.
Despite repeated promises by successive administrations, including Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, to boost the birth rate, efforts have had limited impact. In a creative initiative, Tokyo’s city government developed a dating app requiring users to verify their single status and pledge their intent to marry.
Speaking in parliament last week, Takaichi described the falling birth rate and shrinking population as a “quiet state of emergency” threatening Japan’s vitality.
Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) recently secured a two-thirds majority in the February 8 snap elections. While increasing immigration could help mitigate population decline and labour shortages, Takaichi has pledged tighter controls under pressure from the nationalist Sanseito party.
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Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said the government is working to strengthen the economy to ease the cost of childcare for working families. “We have seen some successes, but we have not been able to reverse the trend of declining births,” he told reporters, emphasizing that a robust economy is key to improving the situation.
