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Downward spiral in births alarms Japan
October 20, 2004
The number of babies born from January to June this year was some 561,000 in
Japan, a drop of 4,900 from the same period last year, officials have said.
The figure has sounded alarm bells, especially since Japanese women last year
notched a record low lifetime average of 1.29 babies.
When discussing the issue of the low birthrate during a Diet session on Monday,
Democratic Party of Japan politician Yoshito Sengoku said the average number of
children Japanese women had in a life might drop further this year.
But an official of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare that announced the
number of newborn babies said that it's too early to conclude that this year's
figure would lead to a decline in the lifetime average.
The number of babies born in Japan reached 560,958 from January to June, 4,903
or 0.87 percent less than the same period last year.
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