Once given scant attention, birthrates are now followed closely in Japan and the United States because of their implications for schools and the economy. In both countries, the outlook is guarded.
That is particularly the case in Japan, with the number of children aged 14 or under falling for the 35th consecutive year to a record low 16.05 million in fiscal 2015. The number decreased 150,000 from the year before to the lowest level since data became available in 1950.
According to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, there are now 8.22 million boys and 7.82 million girls aged 14 or younger. Only Tokyo among the country's 47 prefectures had more children than a year earlier. Fukuoka and Okinawa posted unchanged figures. The data gave Japan the distinction of ranking lowest in terms of the ratio of children to the overall population among the 31 countries with a population of 40 million or more. There is little hope to expect a reversal in the trend in the near future.