Japan, children number 13.2 million: new record low

The number of children in Japan hits a new all-time low. According to data published in keeping with tradition by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the bank holidays celebrating Children's Day, as of 1 April, the number of children under the age of 15 had dropped by 350,000 year-on-year to 13.29 million.

This is the 45th consecutive decline since 1982, when the downward phase began after the peak of almost 30 million recorded in 1954. The share of minors in the total population fell by 0.3 percentage points to 10.8 per cent, the lowest figure since comparable surveys began in 1950.

Japan is thus the country with the lowest percentage of under-15s among the 38 nations with over 40 million inhabitants surveyed by the United Nations, preceded only by South Korea, which stands at 10.2 per cent. The data, which include foreign residents and are based on estimates from the five-year national census, show a structural trend: there are 3.09 million children in the 12-14 age bracket, while in the 0-2 age bracket just 2.13 million, a sign of a progressively shrinking birth rate.

By gender, there are 6.81 million males against 6.48 million females. The picture becomes even worse if one considers the birth figures: in 2025, just under 706,000 children were born in Japan, a new all-time low and the tenth consecutive decline, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Health. In recent years, the Tokyo government has declared the fight against demographic decline a priority, but despite economic support measures, the negative trend shows no sign of stopping. Precisely in order to combat the falling birth rate, two years ago Japan launched the short working week.