Dikhyaa Mohanty 
According to official data, Japan’s fertility declined for the seventh year in a row in 2022, reaching a record low of 1.26. The average number of children born per woman over her lifetime, according to data provided by the Health Ministry on Friday, was 1.26 last year, down 0.05 points from the final total for 2021 and on level with a record low established in 2005.
According to the Xinhua news agency, Tokyo had the lowest fertility rate by prefecture, at 1.04, followed by Miyagi at 1.09 and Hokkaido at 1.12, while Okinawa had the highest fertility rate, at 1.70, ahead of Miyazaki and Tottori. A record low of 770,747 infants were born in 2022, down 40,875 from the year before. This was the first time the total fell below 800,000.
The most recent data was released a day after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a draft plan to increase “unparalleled” parental support in an effort to stop the nation’s declining birthrate. The plan includes a proposal to begin providing child allowance to all households with children, regardless of income, as of fiscal 2024.
