The
number of births in Japan is likely to fall below a million this year for the
first time since data
became available in 1899, the government said on Thursday,
reflecting a
fast-aging society
and the high cost of child care. Japan will also post
a natural population
decline this year
as deaths outpace births, its 10th consecutive
drop, according to an estimate
by the health
ministry.
The
total number of births is expected to be between 980,000 and 990,000 this
year,
down from
slightly more than a million last year, data from the ministry showed.
Births
hit a record high of 2.696 million in 1949.
A
shrinking population of women in their 20s and 30s -about 13.66 million in
October
or 20%
fewer than a decade ago -is a key factor in the falling number of
births, a
ministry official
said.
Japan's
fertility rate was 1.45 in 2015, up 0.03 points from a year earlier, helped
by
an economic
recovery, and is recovering from the record low of 1.26 hit in 2005.
However,
it is still
far from the government's goal of 1.80. Japan's cabinet on Thursday
approved a
record $830 billion spending budget for fiscal 2017, which includes
child-
rearing support.
Source: The
Times of India
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