Japan expects to see the number of newborns drop sharply next year, as the number of pregnancies reported across the country fell 11.4% in the three months from May compared to a year earlier due to the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic, the health ministry said Wednesday.

The tally underscores fears that the pandemic will worsen the nation's already low birth rate, with the number of newborns hitting a record low of 865,000 last year. If the current trend continues, there could be fewer than 800,000 babies born next year.

The number of reported pregnancies saw the sharpest drop in May, falling 17.1%, followed by falls of 5.4% in June and 10.9% in July. The May figure mainly reflects the number of babies conceived in March, when unease about the pandemic began to grow.