The Facts

The number of births registered in Japan plummeted to another record low in 2022 – the latest worrying statistic in a decades long decline that the country’s authorities have failed to reverse despite their extensive efforts.

The country saw 799,728 births in 2022, the lowest number on record and the first ever dip below 800,000, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health. That number has nearly halved in the past 40 years; by contrast, Japan recorded more than 1.5 million births in 1982.

These concerning trends prompted a warning in January 2023 from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that Japan is “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions.”

“In thinking of the sustainability and inclusiveness of our nation’s economy and society, we place child-rearing support as our most important policy,” he said, adding that Japan “simply cannot wait any longer” in solving the problem of its low birth rate.

What measures need to be put in place to reverse this trend, or is this just something that needs to be managed sensibly until the issue passes?