Japan Logs 10th Year of Falling Births, Ageing Population Fuels Fresh Concerns

Japan has seen the number of babies being born go down for the year in a row. This is a problem for the country because it has a lot of old people and not enough young people to work. The government just released some numbers that show this is still happening in 2025.

The number of babies born is low and more people are dying than being born. This means the total number of people in Japan is getting smaller. This has been going on for over ten years. It is causing problems for the economy and social services.

A Big Problem for Japan

Japan already has a lot of people. Thirty percent of the people in Japan are sixty five or older. This number is going to keep going up in the few years. Because there are not many young people working it is putting a lot of pressure on the systems that help old people and pay for their healthcare.

If there are not many people working it can also slow down the economy and make it harder for new ideas to happen. Some industries like making things healthcare and technology are already having trouble finding workers. This is why some people think Japan needs to make some changes and use more machines to help with work.

Why Are Not As Babies Being Born?

There are a lot of reasons why not as many babies are being born in Japan. It is expensive to live people work long hours and it is hard for young people to find stable jobs. It is also hard for people to find help to take care of their kids. Because more people are moving to cities they are also having families.

Some people are also getting married later in life. They do not want to have kids. Surveys show that a lot of people in Japan do not want to have kids because they are worried about money and their careers.

What Is the Government Doing?

The government in Japan has been trying to get more people to have babies. They have been giving people money to help with childcare making it easier for parents to take time off work and giving families some money. The government says this is an important issue.

With these efforts not as many people are having babies as the government had hoped. Some people think the government needs to make changes like making it easier for people to balance work and life making sure men and women are treated equally at work and making jobs more stable. This would make it easier for people to have kids.

Should Japan Let More People Move There?

Japan has traditionally not allowed many people to move there from countries.. Because they need more workers they have started to let some people in. They are also using machines and technology to help with work.

However some people think that just using machines is not enough to solve the problem. Japan needs to come up with a plan that addresses the economic problems it is facing.

What Does This Mean for Countries?

Japans problem with not having babies is a warning for other countries that are having the same issue. Countries in Europe and East Asia are watching what Japan is doing to try to solve its problem.

Because the number of babies being born in Japan is still going down the country needs to make some changes. They need to come up with policies that encourage people to have babies and also make sure the economy is stable even, with an aging population.