Japan's births fall to record low of 350,000 in Jan.-June

The number of babies born in Japan, as well as to Japanese citizens residing overseas, fell 5.7 percent in the January to June period from a year earlier to a record low of 350,074, government data showed Friday, as the number of marriages continues to decline amid shifting values.The pace of decrease in births for the first half of 2024 accelerated from 3.6 percent in the same period last year, preliminary data by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed. The total of 350,000 marked the lowest level for the January-June period since comparable data became available in 1969.The data…READ FULL ARTICLE