Japan grapples with an alarming eighth consecutive year of declining birth rates, reaching a historic low of 758,631 births in 2023, a 5.1% drop from the previous year. This marks the lowest number since record-keeping began in 1899. Marriages also dipped below half a million for the first time in 90 years, contributing to the demographic decline. Younger Japanese cite job insecurity, soaring living costs, and corporate cultures incompatible with family life as reasons for delaying or avoiding marriage and children. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi deems the situation “critical,” emphasizing the urgency to reverse the trend within the next six years.
Japan Faces Demographic Crisis as Birth Rate Hits Historic Low
![](https://affairsace-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/2024/02/28203745/Japan-Declining-Births_55166-860x484.jpg)