Japan's demographic crisis is getting worse, as the fast-graying nation experienced its biggest natural population decline and a record-low birth rate this year, government statistics show. The estimated number of babies born in the country in 2019 fell to 864,000 -- the lowest since records began in 1899 -- according to a report published Tuesday by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
The number of newborns is estimated to have shrunk by 54,000 from 2018, and the figure remains under the 1 million mark for the fourth year running. Deaths in 2019 also hit a postwar record high of 1.376 million, with a natural population decline of 512,000 -- the highest ever.
