Births in Japan are on pace to reach a record low of below 800,000 this year, according to the latest official statistics, raising the specter of its population falling below the 100 million threshold much faster than anticipated.
For 12 months through May, births among Japanese nationals totaled 798,561, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in October. This is the first time the 12-month figure has dipped below 800,000 births, based on available data.
Last year, Japan recorded 811,000 births, a record low due to the COVID-19 pandemic that discouraged marriage and pregnancies. The pandemic fallout has continued to depress births this year.
Births recorded in the first half of this year reached 367,232, a decline of 5% from a year earlier. During the first three quarters of the year, there were 599,000 births, based on preliminary figures that include births by foreign nationals. This total is down 4.9% from the year-earlier period.
Births have declined by an average of 2.5% a year over the past decade. But this year’s decline points to the pace doubling.
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Japan’s births set to fall below 800,000 as decline hastens
Nikkei – Dec 02
Births in Japan are on pace to reach a record low of below 800,000 this year, according to the latest official statistics, raising the specter of its population falling below the 100 million threshold much faster than anticipated.
Teachers call for cancellation of English speaking test
ANNnewsCH – Nov 20
With only one week before the introduction of an English speaking test in this year’s Tokyo high school entrance examination, there have been calls from some teachers to cancel it, saying that fairness cannot be maintained, TV Asahi reports.
Trial of English-speaking test for Tokyo high schools raises eyebrows
Kyodo – Nov 16
A private-sector English-speaking test will be introduced at the Tokyo metropolitan high school entrance exam for the first time in Japan this month, but the initiative to nurture “speaking skills” faces stiff opposition from some parents and education experts questioning its fairness.
The Notorious Wako Pirates of Japan
ancient-origins.net – Nov 14
The wako (also called wokou or waegu) were a group of marauders that dominated the seas of East Asia for centuries. They have been seen by Western historians and culture as a kind of Japanese pirate, but as scholars dig deeper into the history of these people, questions arise about their true nature.
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