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Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported on Thursday that the country’s annual number of births fell to 705,809 in 2025, marking a record low for the 10th year in a row.
The preliminary report showed a decline of 15,179 births, or 2.1 percent, from 2024, smaller than the roughly 5 percent annual decreases recorded from 2022 to 2024.
By prefecture, only Tokyo and Ishikawa saw a rise in births compared with the previous year.
The government spends around 3.6 trillion yen annually to address the declining birthrate, a trend occurring more than 15 years earlier than projected by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
Ministry officials said they are taking the decline seriously as it shows no signs of stopping.
The falling birthrate has raised concerns over population aging and labor shortages in the coming decades.
Experts said policies to support families, such as childcare subsidies and parental leave, are crucial to reversing the trend.
The ministry plans to continue monitoring birth trends and adjust programs to encourage higher fertility rates nationwide.