"Elon Musk's Warning That 'Japan May Cease to Exist' Realized... 'Number of Births' Hits Lowest in 122 Years"

6 Consecutive Years of Decline... Total Fertility Rate Also Fourth Lowest Ever
Musk's "Japan Will Disappear" Remark Draws Renewed Attention

Tourists visiting the shopping district in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by EPA Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] Japan's number of births has decreased for six consecutive years, reaching the lowest point since the related statistics began to be compiled last year.

According to a recent announcement by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of births last year was 811,604, a decrease of 29,231 compared to the previous year.

This is the lowest figure in 122 years since the related statistics began in 1899.

The total fertility rate, which is the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, was 1.30, the fourth lowest ever recorded.

Meanwhile, Japan's total number of deaths last year was 1,439,809, and considering the number of births, the overall population decreased by 628,205. The scale of population decline also set a record high.

The number of births in 1949, when Japan's baby boom generation was born, was the highest at 2,696,638. After recording 2,091,983 in 1973, the number showed a declining trend and fell below one million for the first time in 2016.

The year with the lowest total fertility rate in Japan was 2005, with a rate of 1.26.

Meanwhile, remarks made by Elon Musk, CEO of the American company Tesla, are being revisited.

In May, Musk posted on his social media, "If a change where the birth rate exceeds the death rate does not occur, Japan will not exist anyway," expressing concern that it would be "a great loss for the world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.