Japan to Roll Out Measures as Birth Rate Hits ‘Critical’ Low

A file image of a woman with a pushchair walking with children at a park in Tokyo. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP via Getty Images)

The total number of babies born in Japan could drop below 800,000 this year, a government official said, indicating a “critical situation” that will necessitate comprehensive measures from the government.

Japan recorded 599,000 births in the first three quarters of 2022, including births to foreign nationals, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

This is a decrease from the 811,000 births recorded last year, implying that total births will likely fall below 800,000 this year, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Nov. 28, NHK reported.

Matsuno said the government would take comprehensive measures to promote marriage and increase birth rates, including fostering an environment in which parents can balance work and childcare and offering financial aid.

Japan has one of the fastest aging populations on earth, and the country’s closed borders over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic have hastened the shrinkage of its workforce.

The nation’s population, which currently stood at 125 million, is forecast to fall to about 102 million by 2050, according to Japan’s Statistics Bureau.

According to the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), Japan’s working-age population dropped from 87 million in 1993 to 75.3 million in 2018, resulting in a severe labor shortage in the country’s economy.

“Aging population, coupled with a low fertility rate, results in a declining working-age population," AMRO said in a 2019 report.

“This not only hurts a country’s growth potential but also affects negatively Japan’s fiscal sustainability due to increases in social expenditure such as higher pension and healthcare spending,” the report reads.

Japan’s overall fertility rate—the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime—slid for a sixth straight year, to 1.3 as of June this year.

South Korea Records World’s Lowest Fertility Rate

Aside from Japan, South Korea also struggles with a declining birth rate, with 192,223 babies born between January and September—a 5.2 percent decrease from the previous year—according to government data.

South Korea’s statistic agency said in August that the total fertility rate was 0.81 last year, which is down from 0.84 in 2019, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The country had the lowest fertility rate when compared to other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations. The average fertility rate across all OECD nations is 1.59 as of 2020.

Taiwan’s total fertility rate has also remained below the average, at 0.98 in 2021. The National Development Council forecasts the self-ruled island will overtake South Korea as the nation with the lowest fertility rate by 2035, according to local reports.

Reuters contributed to this report.