A leading Japanese think tank estimates the number of births in Japan will likely fall below 700,000 this year, marking a record low.
If such a drop in births occurs in 2024 it would come 14 years earlier than the government predicted.
The Japan Research Institute, or JRI, has made the estimation based on the health ministry's preliminary data on the number of babies born across Japan.
The JRI says the number of Japanese babies for this year is estimated to be about 698,000 at most. It would be the lowest since the government began keeping data on the matter.
Earlier, the National Institute of Population and Social Security estimated that the number of births in Japan would drop below the 700,000 mark in 2038.
A senior researcher at JRI, Fujinami Takumi, attributed the estimated low number to Japan's younger population shrinking and a growing number of people thinking marriage and having a child are not necessarily a must amid changing values.
Fujinami also pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic years when the number of marriages fell as young people had fewer chances to meet partners, saying aftereffects from that continue.
He suggested raising real wages for young workers and eradicating gender inequality at home and work to reduce burdens on working mothers.