Society | Jun 08

Births in Japan fall to record low in 2018

Government statistics show that Japan's population is shrinking at a faster pace as births hit a new record low.

The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry says the average number of children a woman gives birth to in her lifetime stood at 1.42 in 2018. That's slightly down from a year earlier.

Okinawa was the prefecture with the highest fertility rate at 1.89. Tokyo had the lowest at 1.20.

Almost 920,000 babies were born last year. That is the fewest since statistics began in 1899.

About 1.36 million people died, the most since the end of World War Two.

The number of deaths minus that of births was about 444,000, a record high for an eleventh year in a row.

The number of male-female couples who married last year stood at 586,000. That's the lowest since the end of World War Two.

Source: ANNnewsCH


MORE Society NEWS

The Imperial Household Agency has announced that Princess Kako, the second daughter of the Akishino family, is scheduled to visit Greece in late May to promote international goodwill.

The Taiji Town Whale Museum in Wakayama Prefecture conducted a memorial service on Tuesday for marine mammals and fish that have died in captivity.

A startling projection has been unveiled, suggesting that if current trends continue, every Japanese person might eventually be named 'Sato'.

POPULAR NEWS

Four men have been arrested by Tokyo police for allegedly recruiting women for prostitution in the United States via a website, promising encounters with affluent clients and high earnings.

For the first time in 73 years, Japan has unveiled a newly constructed whaling mother ship, equipped with drone technology for whaling operations in the Antarctic Sea.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Nara Prefecture has disciplined its former Youth Division Chief following a controversial dance party incident.

Residents of Japan's oldest student dormitory, self-managed for over 100 years, are digging in as Kyoto University attempts to evict them from the premises.

A Japan Airlines flight en route from Melbourne to Narita Airport encountered sudden severe turbulence on April 1, causing injuries to several cabin crew, including a broken leg.

FOLLOW US