TOKYO -- Japan's total fertility rate -- the average number of births per woman during her reproductive years -- fell in 2023 for the eighth straight year, reaching a record low, according to figures released Wednesday by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
The total fertility rate refers to the number of children born to each woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years. The ministry adds the birthrate for women at every age between 15 to 49 to calculate the total fertility rate.
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