Latest news with #Fujinami
Japan Forward
5 days ago
- Business
- Japan Forward
Births Fall Below 700,000 Far Earlier Than Expected: Is There a Way Out?
このページを 日本語 で読む The number of children born in Japan in 2024 fell below 700,000 for the first time. This is 14 years earlier than the government had projected. The sharp decline underscores the rapid pace of the country's falling number of births. A major factor behind the trend is the growing reluctance among young people to marry or have children, largely attributed to economic insecurity. In response, experts are calling for urgent measures to improve the financial situation of younger generations. In 2023, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimated that 755,000 children would be born to Japanese citizens in 2024. It had projected that the number of births would drop below 700,000 in 2038, with a forecast of 692,000 that year. Japan's social security system operates mainly on a pay-as-you-go model, funded by insurance premiums from the working-age population. If the number of births continues to decline at the current rate, the burden on workers will increase, putting the system's financial stability at risk. Time is also running out to reverse the trend. The number of people born in the 1990s, who are now of marriageable age, had been steady at around 1.2 million per year. However, that figure dropped below 1.1 million in 2005 and fell to under 1 million by 2016. Future birth cohorts are expected to shrink even further. The government has warned that the years leading up to 2030 may be the "last chance" to reverse the trend. However, effective countermeasures have yet to be implemented. Japan's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, also fell to a record low of 1.15. Economic uncertainty is a major reason why more young people are choosing not to marry or have children. Takumi Fujinami, a senior researcher at the Japan Research Institute, said, "Lower-income individuals are less likely to have children. It's urgent that we improve the economic conditions of young people preparing for marriage or parenthood, for example, by raising the minimum wage." Fujinami also noted that the decline in births is affecting not only urban areas but rural regions as well. While dual-income households are now the norm, many rural areas still lack quality job opportunities for women. He emphasized the need to "rethink how female employment is structured in regional areas too." Author: Kazuyuki Nagahashi, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Korea Herald
27-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Japan's births fell to record low in 2024
TOKYO -- The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday, underscoring the rapid ageing and dwindling of the population. Births were down 5 percent on the year, despite a range of steps unveiled in 2023 by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to boost childbearing, while a record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born. Although the fertility rate in neighbouring South Korea rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, thanks to measures to spur young people to marry and have children, the trend in Japan has yet to show an upturn. Behind Japan's childbirth decline are fewer marriages in recent years, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Takumi Fujinami, an economist at the Japan Research Institute. Although the number of marriages edged up 2.2 percent to 499,999 in 2024, that came only after steep declines, such as a plunge of 12.7 percent in 2020. "The impact could linger on in 2025 as well," Fujinami said. Unlike some Western countries, only a few of every 100 babies in Japan are born out of wedlock, suggesting a stronger correlation between marriages and births. Asked about the latest demographic data, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba noted the rise in the number of marriages. "We need to be aware the trend of falling births has not been arrested. But the number of marriages posted an increase. Given close ties between the number of marriages and the number of births, we should focus on this aspect as well," he said. News this week that South Korea's fertility rate rose to 0.75 in 2024 from 0.72 in 2023 suggested the demographic crisis there might have turned a corner. In Japan, the most recent data shows the corresponding figure for the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life came in at 1.20 in 2023. While Fujinami said it was too early for any meaningful comparison between the figures in the two countries, it was important for both to improve job opportunities and close the gender gap to encourage young people to marry and have children. Experts believe South Korea's positive turn resulted from government support in work-family balance, childcare and housing, as well as a campaign for businesses to nudge employees towards parenthood. (Reuters)
Iraqi News
27-02-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Japan's births fell to record low in 2024
The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday, underscoring the rapid ageing and dwindling of the population. Births were down 5% on the year, despite measures in 2023 by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government to boost child-bearing, while a record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born. Although the fertility rate in neighbouring South Korea rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, thanks to measures to spur young people to marry and have children, the trend in Japan has yet to show an upturn. Behind Japan's childbirth decline are fewer marriages in recent years, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Takumi Fujinami, an economist at the Japan Research Institute. Although the number of marriages edged up 2.2% to 499,999 in 2024, that came only after steep declines, such as a plunge of 12.7% in 2020. "The impact could linger on in 2025 as well," Fujinami said. Unlike some Western countries, only a few of every 100 babies in Japan are born out of wedlock, suggesting a stronger correlation between marriages and births. News this week that South Korea's fertility rate rose to 0.75 in 2024 from 0.72 in 2023 suggested the neighbouring nation's demographic crisis might have turned a corner. In Japan, the most recent data shows the corresponding figure for the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life came in at 1.20 in 2023. While it was too early for any meaningful comparison between the figures in the two countries, Fujinami warned, it was important for both to improve job opportunities and close thje gender gap to encourage young people to marry and have children. Experts believe South Korea's positive turn resulted from government support in the three areas of work-family balance, childcare and housing, as well as a campaign for businesses to nudge employees towards parenthood. SOURCE: REUTERS
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Japanese birth rate falls to record low as deaths hit record high
The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 marking the ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday. Births were down 5 per cent on the year, despite measures in 2023 by the government of Fumio Kishida, the former prime minister, to boost the rate. A record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born. The stark figures underscore the growing issue of a rapidly ageing and shrinking Japanese population. Fertility rates in neighbouring South Korea rose for the first time in nine years in 2024 after the rollout of new measures encouraging young people to marry and have children, however, the trend is yet to spread to Japan. Takumi Fujinami, an economist at the Japan Research Institute, said the country's falling birth rate was linked to fewer marriages. Although the number of marriages edged up 2.2 per cent to 499,999 in 2024, that only came after steep declines, such as a plunge of 12.7 per cent in 2020. Fujinami said: 'The impact could linger on in 2025 as well.' Unlike in Western countries, a small proportion of every 100 babies are born out of wedlock in Japan, suggesting a stronger correlation between marriage and births. The increase in South Korea's fertility rate, from 0.72 in 2023 to 0.75 in 2024, has raised hopes that the neighbouring nation's demographic crisis may have turned a corner. The most recent corresponding data for Japan puts the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life at 1.2 as of 2023. Mr Fujinami warned it was too early for any meaningful comparison between the two countries' figures, but said it was important for both to improve job opportunities and close the gender gap to encourage young people to marry and have children. Experts believe South Korea's up-tick in birth rates came after increased government support in the areas of work-family balance, childcare and housing, as well as a campaign encouraging businesses to nudge employees towards parenthood. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Japanese birth rate falls to record low as deaths hit record high
The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 marking the ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday. Births were down 5 per cent on the year, despite measures in 2023 by the government of Fumio Kishida, the former prime minister, to boost the rate. A record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born. The stark figures underscore the growing issue of a rapidly ageing and shrinking Japanese population. Fertility rates in neighbouring South Korea rose for the first time in nine years in 2024 after the rollout of new measures encouraging young people to marry and have children, however, the trend is yet to spread to Japan. Takumi Fujinami, an economist at the Japan Research Institute, said the country's falling birth rate was linked to fewer marriages. Although the number of marriages edged up 2.2 per cent to 499,999 in 2024, that only came after steep declines, such as a plunge of 12.7 per cent in 2020. Fujinami said: 'The impact could linger on in 2025 as well.' Unlike in Western countries, a small proportion of every 100 babies are born out of wedlock in Japan, suggesting a stronger correlation between marriage and births. The increase in South Korea's fertility rate, from 0.72 in 2023 to 0.75 in 2024, has raised hopes that the neighbouring nation's demographic crisis may have turned a corner. The most recent corresponding data for Japan puts the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life at 1.2 as of 2023. Mr Fujinami warned it was too early for any meaningful comparison between the two countries' figures, but said it was important for both to improve job opportunities and close the gender gap to encourage young people to marry and have children. Experts believe South Korea's up-tick in birth rates came after increased government support in the areas of work-family balance, childcare and housing, as well as a campaign encouraging businesses to nudge employees towards parenthood.
