The number of births registered with local government offices between January and June increased for the first time in six years, according to a health ministry report Monday.
A total of 549,255 babies were registered at municipal offices in the first half of the year, an increase of 11,618 from the same period last year, according to preliminary figures.
An official at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said the nation's overall fertility rate, which hit a record low of 1.25 last year, could turn upward in 2006 if the trend in the number of births continues.