Editorials Jun 11, 2019
Efforts must be maintained to create an environment in which people can marry and start families earlier in their lives.
National Jun 7, 2019
Number of newborns in Japan fell to record low while population dropped faster than ever in 2018
The rapidly aging country posted the largest margin of decrease in its population at 444,085 since comparable data became available in 1899.
National / Politics May 19, 2019
LDP to set up caucus on making use of paternity leave mandatory throughout Japan
Like-minded members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party plan to form a caucus to make the taking of paternity leave mandatory in Japan, informed sources said Saturday. The caucus, to be chaired by former education minister Hirokazu Matsuno, is set to hold its first meeting ...
National Dec 28, 2018
Number of maternity hospitals in Japan at lowest level in over four decades, health ministry says
The number of maternity hospitals in Japan has fallen to 1,313, its lowest since 1972 when comparable data became available, as the country's population rapidly greys and maintains a low birthrate, a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey showed Thursday. As of October last year, ...
National Dec 21, 2018
Number of babies born in Japan in 2018 lowest since records began; population decline the highest
The figures reveal the difficulty of the government’s goal of raising the total fertility rate amid the population decline.
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Dec 18, 2018
'No place for a mother': South Korea battles to raise birthrate
When Ashley Park started her marketing job at a Seoul drugmaker she had a near-perfect college record, flawless English, and got on well with her colleagues — none of which mattered to her employer once she fell pregnant. Nine months after she joined, Park said, ...
National / Social Issues Jul 14, 2018
Tokyo still world's largest city but Delhi forecast to pass it in 10 years
For now, Tokyo is still the world's largest city with 37 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, according to data released by the United Nations. But its population has plateaued and is projected to begin declining around 2020, while Delhi continues to ascend and is ...
Commentary / Japan Jun 19, 2018
Reversing Japan's demographic nosedive
by Ichiro Asahina
National Jun 1, 2018
Births sink to record low of 946,060 as deaths surge and marriage dims
Births sank to record low of 946,060 in 2017 as deaths surged and marriages sank, government data show.
National May 4, 2018
Japan's child population shrinks to 15.53 million, setting another record low
The number of children in Japan fell for the 37th consecutive year to yet another record low, signaling that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to combat the low birthrate are still wanting. There were 15.53 million Japanese and other children in the nation as of ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX May 6, 2017
Japanese tradition denies surrogacy
by Philip Brasor
Most major media covered the March 22 Tokyo news conference where Sachiko Kishimoto of the nonprofit organization Oocyte Donation Network (OD-Net) explained how a woman in her 40s had recently given birth to a daughter who had been conceived using the woman's husband's sperm ...
National / Social Issues | FOCUS Apr 11, 2017
Despite government reluctance, Japan's population outlook makes immigration talk inevitable
The latest forecasts for the decline in the nation's population are likely to bring forward the debate on immigration, despite the government's refusal to use the word "immigration" to describe its policies. The country's population is expected to shrink to 88.08 million by 2065, down ...