Rise in births to non-Japanese comes as politicians keep dodging the choice between economic decline and a more diverse population
This week brought encouraging news for Japan’s long battle to defuse its demographic timebomb: in 2024, the number of babies born to one sector of the population rose to a record of more than 22,000 – that’s about 3,000 more than the previous year and a 50% increase on a decade ago.
But none of the women who answered calls – invariably issued by conservative male politicians – to have more children were Japanese.
