Number Of Children In Japan Hits Low

The number of children in Japan has hit a record low, and one reason is an increasing desire among women to delay domestic life in favor of earning money, a government report said Sunday.

At a time when more women than ever are attending universities and entering the professional ranks, women say that earning enough money to support themselves is one reason to hold off on marriage and children, according to the Health Ministry study.

Increasing numbers of men, meanwhile, say they are postponing marriage because they don’t have enough money to support a family.

The latest figures, which included 10.19 million boys and 9.68 million girls out of Japan’s population of 125 million, represents a drop of 320,000 children from last year.