Japan faces 'extremely severe situation' as fertility rate hits record low

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned on Thursday that the country's record-low fertility rate reflects “an extremely severe situation,” as Japan grapples with a deepening demographic decline.

Speaking at a House of Representatives Budget Committee session, Takaichi described population decline as “a quiet emergency and a vital issue,” according to The Mainichi newspaper.

“I have only been in office for seven months, and I have not yet been able to dramatically change the trend,” she said.

Takaichi said her government aims to raise take-home pay for young people to make it easier for those who want to marry and have children, while expanding support for parents facing the challenges of raising children.

Japan recorded 671,236 births in 2025, the lowest annual figure since records began in 1899. The country's total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime — fell to a record low of 1.14, according to government data.

Japan's population stood at just over 123 million in 2025, down 3.1 million from five years earlier, according to data cited by Nippon.com.