Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced on Thursday that the number of births in the country last year fell 2.1% year-on-year to 705,809, marking a 10th consecutive record low. The trend means that a review of the current social security system is inevitable.
The 2025 number, including that of foreign nationals, was the lowest since comparable records began in 1899, having dropped by 30% in the past decade. The pace of decline, however, slowed compared to 2022-24, when it exceeded 5% annually.
Marriage registrations in 2025 increased 1.1% from the previous year to 505,656 couples, exceeding 500,000 for the first time in three years. This marks the second consecutive year of growth amid recovery from a significant decline caused by COVID-19 restrictions and other factors.
The_Frostweaver on
They aren’t going to solve their demographics crisis with increased births, it’s not happening.
When the upcomming generation is smaller than the current child bearing generation you are basically locked in for fewer marriages and births in the future.
Japan needs to figure out reasonable immigration policy and bring in young immigrants who can have children who then go to school and learn japanese language and culture alongside local japanese children.
If you wait then there will be even fewer young local japanese people having children and the situation will be worse.
You can’t save your culture by melting immigrants into it if there are no local japanese children for the immigrant children to go to school with.
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Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced on Thursday that the number of births in the country last year fell 2.1% year-on-year to 705,809, marking a 10th consecutive record low. The trend means that a review of the current social security system is inevitable.
The 2025 number, including that of foreign nationals, was the lowest since comparable records began in 1899, having dropped by 30% in the past decade. The pace of decline, however, slowed compared to 2022-24, when it exceeded 5% annually.
Marriage registrations in 2025 increased 1.1% from the previous year to 505,656 couples, exceeding 500,000 for the first time in three years. This marks the second consecutive year of growth amid recovery from a significant decline caused by COVID-19 restrictions and other factors.
They aren’t going to solve their demographics crisis with increased births, it’s not happening.
When the upcomming generation is smaller than the current child bearing generation you are basically locked in for fewer marriages and births in the future.
Japan needs to figure out reasonable immigration policy and bring in young immigrants who can have children who then go to school and learn japanese language and culture alongside local japanese children.
If you wait then there will be even fewer young local japanese people having children and the situation will be worse.
You can’t save your culture by melting immigrants into it if there are no local japanese children for the immigrant children to go to school with.