Japan s fertility rate hits record low despite government push

TOKYO – Japan’s fertility rate declined in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year, reaching another historical low that underscores the immense challenge facing the government as it attempts to reverse the trend in one of the world’s most aged societies.

The total fertility rate – the average number of children a woman is likely to have over her childbearing years – fell to 1.15, down from 1.2 the previous year, marking the lowest rate in records going back to 1947, according to a Health Ministry statement on June 4.

The trend was particularly notable in Tokyo, where the rate was below 1 for the second year in a row.

The total number of births dropped to about 686,000, marking the first time the figure has fallen below 700,000.

Deaths totalled around 1.61 million, leading to a net population decline of roughly 919,000 and extending the run of annual drops in the country’s population to 18 years. The data excludes migration.

The figures underscore the urgency of the government’s recent push to boost fertility.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has rolled out a range of policies aimed at easing the financial burden on families, including expanded child-related subsidies and tuition-free high school education.

The government has also guaranteed full wage compensation for some couples who both take parental leave, and improved working conditions for childcare and nursing staff.

These measures build on the initiatives by Mr Ishiba’s predecessor, Mr Fumio Kishida, who pledged to raise per-child government support to levels comparable to Sweden, where 3.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) is devoted to family benefits.

At the time, Mr Kishida warned that Japan could “lose its capacity to function as a society” unless bold action was taken.

The crisis of rapidly declining birth rates remains unresolved, a Health Ministry spokesperson