Japan's 2025 birth rate hits record low, PM Takaishi warns of 'quiet national security crisis'

Japan's birth rate and the number of Japanese children born in the country both hit record lows in 2025, Prime Minister Takaishi Sanae acknowledged on Thursday, calling it a "quiet national security crisis" and urging action to address the declining birthrate.

Responding to opposition lawmaker Ogawa Junya's questions in the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Takaishi said: "The situation is very severe. I view the population decline as a 'quiet national security crisis' and a major challenge."

Having been in office for only seven months, Takaishi acknowledged she had "not yet been able to significantly change the overall trend," but said she would focus on increasing young people's real disposable income so that "young people who want to marry and have children do not have to give up their dreams."

She also pledged to strengthen support for families in isolated child-rearing situations to fundamentally improve the childbearing environment.

According to the latest health ministry data, only 671,236 Japanese children were born in Japan in 2025, the lowest since records began in 1899.

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