Japan’s annual births fall to record low as country’s ‘silent emergency’ deepens

TOKYO (AP) — The number of newborns in Japan is decreasing faster than projected, with the number of annual births falling to a record low last year, according to government data released Wednesday.

The Health Ministry said 686,061 babies were born in Japan in 2024, a drop of 5.7% on the previous year and the first time the number of newborns had fallen below 700,000 since records began in 1899.

The decline comes about 15 years faster than the government prediction. Last year’s...