TOKYO - The number of babies born in Japan to Japanese nationals in 2025 fell to a record low of 671,236, while the country's total fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman is estimated to have in her lifetime -- also dropped to a new low, government data showed Wednesday.

Births fell by 2.2 percent, or 14,937, from the previous year, and the fertility rate edged down 0.01 percentage point to 1.14, both declining for the 10th straight year. However, the rate slowed compared to recent trends, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

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