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Japanese government spokesperson said the government will take "unprecedented measures" to address the declining birth rate

The number of newborns in Japan fell for the eighth consecutive year, marking a new record low in 2023, according to preliminary data released today by that country's government.

Last year the number of births in Japan fell by 5,1 percent compared to the previous year, amounting to just 758.631, while the number of marriages fell by 5,9 percent year-on-year to 489.281, below the threshold of 500 thousand for the first time in 90 years.

This last data, in particular, heralds a further decline in the population in the years to come, since births out of wedlock are quite rare in Japan.

When asked about the latest data, the Japanese government spokesperson said the government would take "unprecedented measures" to address the declining birth rate, such as expanding child care services and promoting increases wages for younger workers.

“The declining birth rate is in a critical situation,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters. “The next six years or so until 2030, when the number of young people will decline rapidly, will be the last chance to reverse the trend.”

Aware of the potential social and economic impact and burden on public finances, at the end of last year Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the ongoing demographic trend in Japan "the most serious crisis faced by our country", and announced a series of of measures to support families with children.

Japan's population will likely decline by about 30 percent to 87 million by 2070, with four in ten people over the age of 65, according to estimates from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.