"Better Than Korea, But..." Japan's Child Population Halved Over 45 Years, Hits All-Time Low

13.29 Million Children Under 15 in Japan
A Decrease of 350,000 from the Previous Year

The population of children in Japan has once again reached a record low since statistics began being compiled.

According to the Asahi Shimbun on May 4, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that as of May 1, the number of people under the age of 15 stood at 13.29 million, a decrease of 350,000 from the previous year. This marks a decline for the 45th consecutive year.

Children visiting the free public event held at Anyang Country Club in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province are smiling brightly and playing joyfully. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The proportion of children in the total population fell by 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous year to 10.8%, declining for the 52nd consecutive year. Both the number of children and the proportion relative to the total population are the lowest since comparable statistics began in 1950.

By age group, those aged 12 to 14 made up the largest segment, numbering 3.09 million and accounting for 2.5% of the total population. In contrast, the younger the age group, the smaller the population: children aged 0 to 2 numbered 2.13 million, making up 1.7% of the total.

Compared to the peak of 29.8 million children in 1955, the current figure represents a decrease to about 45% of that number. The proportion of children in the total population has also continued to decline, from 35.4% in 1950 to 23.5% in 1980, and to 18.2% in 1990.

Based on United Nations data analyzed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's proportion of children, at 10.8%, was the second lowest among 38 countries with populations exceeding 40 million, following South Korea (10.2%).

Japan, along with South Korea, is grappling with the challenges of a super-aged society. According to the United Nations, a super-aged society is defined as one in which people aged 65 or older account for 20% or more of the total population. In Japan, the elderly population aged 65 or older now reaches 30% of the total. According to last year's "Japan’s Elderly in Statistics" by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 36.19 million out of Japan's total population of 123.2 million were aged 65 or older.

With Japan's total fertility rate falling to just over 1 and the issue of low birth rates worsening, the Japanese government has been intensifying related policy measures. However, there has been no significant progress in reversing the declining birth rate.

Policies thus far have mainly focused on childcare support and alleviating caregiving burdens. However, the spread of trends such as postponing or avoiding marriage, as well as the continued prevalence of long working hours that make it difficult to balance work and family life, have limited the effectiveness of these measures. In addition, ongoing declines in the birth rate are attributed to economic burdens such as the cost of raising and educating children, employment insecurity, and, for women, concerns about career interruptions.

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