Japan’s birth rate falls to a record low as the number of marriages also drops

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government data shows the country’s birth rate fell to a new low for the eighth straight year in 2023. A government official described the situation as critical and urged authorities to do everything they can to reverse the trend. The data released on Wednesday by the Health ministry underscores Japan’s long-standing issues of a rapidly aging and shrinking population, which has serious implications for the country’s economy and national security — especially against the backdrop of China’s increasingly assertive presence in the region. According to the latest statistics, the fertility rate — the average number of children a woman gives birth in her life time — was 1.2