TOKYO -- The total number of births of Japanese citizens residing in the country in 2024 was 686,061, down 5.7% from the previous year, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This was the first time annual births fell below 700,000 since record-keeping began in 1899.
That figure arrived 14 years ahead of the government's predictions, and the steep drop is aggravating Japan's population decline -- putting further pressure on the country's economy and welfare system.
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