In brief
Japan registered its first rise in births to Japanese nationals in the first half of 2026 after a decade of declines, with 320,458 children born—a 0.4% increase. The uptick follows a rise in marriages in 2024 and 2025, and suggests the ageing population trend may be slowing. The figure comes close to last year’s pace, indicating a modest rebound.
In the first half of 2026, births to Japanese nationals rose 0.4 percent to 320,458, marking the first increase in the January‑June period in 11 years, Xinhua reported on Wednesday, citing Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare data.
Japan’s annual births had hit a record low of 671,236 in 2025, and the first‑half figure for 2026 approaches that pace, the same source noted.
Xinhua attributes the modest rise partly to a surge in marriages in 2024 and 2025, which the data showed had increased during the two years before the H1 2026 data were released.
Implications for the Population Trend
The uptick is seen as an early sign that the country’s ageing and low birthrate trajectory may be slowing, the police add, although long‑term projections still foresee a continued decline in annual births.