The annual number of newborns dropped to a record low of 946,060 in 2017, staying below 1 million for the second consecutive year, a government survey showed Friday.
Japan's population thus fell by the largest margin yet, with births dropping 30,918 from the previous year and deaths climbing to a postwar high of 1,340,433, for a natural decrease of 394,373, the health ministry's data showed.
Marriages also fell, hitting a postwar low of 606,863, down 13,668 from the previous year.