Pediatricians are alarmed at new statistics that show newborn infants are smaller on average than babies born 20 years ago.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the average weight of newborns was 3,230 grams in 1980, but 3,060 grams in 2003.
The percentage of babies weighing less than 2,500 grams was 9.11 percent of all children born in 2003, up from 5.18 percent in 1980.