TOKYO: The number of births in Japan fell for the 10th straight year in 2025, official data showed on Thursday (Feb 26), highlighting the challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.A total of 705,809 babies were born in Japan, the preliminary health ministry data showed, down 2.1 per cent from 2024.The data includes births to Japanese nationals in Japan, foreign births in Japan and babies born to Japanese nationals overseas.Meanwhile, 505,656 couples got married in 2025, up 1.1 per cent, while the number of divorces fell 3.7 per cent to 182,969 cases.There were 1,605,654 deaths, down 13,030 or 0.8 per cent from 2024.Commentary: Steak mousse and a vibrating sofa - the impact of Japan’s ageing has become more dramaticThe internal affairs ministry estimated Japan's overall population as of February at 122.86 million people, down 0.47 per cent, or 580,000, from a year ago. The world's fourth-biggest economy has one of the world's lowest birth rates and a falling and ageing population.This is leading to a host of problems, including labour shortages, a ballooning social security bill and fewer working people paying tax.That, in turn, is adding to Japan's huge debts. It already has the highest debt ratio among major economies.Figures last year showed that the number of people aged 100 or older was almost 100,000, with close to 90 per cent of them women.The shrinking population is also gutting rural communities. The number of abandoned homes in Japan is now around four million.Over 40 per cent of municipalities risk extinction, according to a recent study.Ageing but arming: Why East Asia’s greying societies are spending more on defenceSuccessive Japanese leaders - including Takaichi, the country's first woman premier - have promised to increase births but with limited success.Tokyo's city government developed its own dating app, which requires users to submit documentation proving they are single and to sign a letter stating they are willing to get married."The declining birth rate and shrinking population are a quiet state of emergency that will gradually erode our country's vitality," Takaichi said in parliament last week.Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a two-thirds majority in the Feb 8 snap elections.Increasing immigration would help reverse Japan's falling population and the associated problems in the labour market.But under pressure from the "Japanese first" Sanseito party, the right-wing Takaichi has vowed tougher measures on immigration.The government said on Thursday it is striving to build a stronger economy to reduce the economic burden of childcare for working families."I believe there were some successes. Unfortunately, however, we have not managed to reverse this trend (of falling births)," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters."I believe (an important factor) is to achieve a strong economy," Ozaki said.Commentary: A match made in policy - should the state play cupid?Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin here