Child Population In Japan Drops To New Low After 42-Year Down Trend - Reports

The estimated child population in Japan has been on the decline for 42 consecutive years, reaching a new record low, Japanese media reported, citing government data

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2023) The estimated child population in Japan has been on the decline for 42 consecutive years, reaching a new record low, Japanese media reported, citing government data.

The number of children under 14 years old was estimated at 14.35 million as of April 1, which is about 300,000 fewer than in the same period last year, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.

Children made up 11.5% of the country's population, the lowest figure since records began in 1950, the report said. Data shows that Japanese citizens generally prefer to have fewer and fewer kids, as there are currently about 3.21 million children between 12 and 14 years old, while the number of children under two is 2.43 million, Kyodo noted.

Japan's child population has been continuously on decline since 1982, while the two baby booms in the country's modern history occurred in 1954 and in the early 1970s, according to the report.

In October, all of Japan's 47 prefectures recorded a decrease in the birth rate, the report said.

The highest ratio of children, 16.3% of the population, has been recorded in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, while the lowest, 9.3%, has been recorded in Akita Prefecture in the north of the country, according to the report.

In 2022, Japan's birth rate fell below 800,000, which was a historic low and underlined the need for urgent measures. As a result, in April, Japan launched the Children and Families Agency, a new institution designed to tackle the country's demographic issues.

However, in February, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced an increase in child care budget, but the government downplayed the proposal, criticizing it for being too vague.