For the first time since comparable data became available, the number of households with children fell below 10 million in 2022 in Japan. The population decline warning bells have been ringing for some time but the recent data paints a rather dystopic picture regarding Japan's future.&nbsp;

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, households with children under 18 stood at 9.917 million. down 3.4 percentage points from&nbsp;2019 data to a record low of 18.3 per cent&nbsp;of the total. Nearly half (49.3 per cent) of these households have only one child, 38 per cent have two, while those with three or more stood at 12.7 per cent.&nbsp;

<h2>Japan may not exist&nbsp;</h2>

In March, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's close aide Masako Mori stated that the Asian country might cease to exist if the current trend of falling birth rate continues.&nbsp;

"If we go on like this, the country will disappear. It's the people who have to live through the process of disappearance who will face enormous harm. It's a terrible disease that will afflict those children," warned Mori.&nbsp;

"It's not falling gradually, it's heading straight down. A nosedive means children being born now will be thrown into a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function," he added.&nbsp;

His statement came after data showed that the number of babies born in Japan in 2022 fell below 800,000 for the first time since record-keeping&nbsp;began in 1899.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-japans-pm-kishida-vows-to-raise-birth-rate-555652" target="_blank">WATCH | WION Fineprint: Japan's PM Kishida vows to raise birth rate</a>

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Twice as many people died as were born in the country with 799,728 births reported compared to 1.58 million deaths.&nbsp;It was a continuation of a decade-long trend where the Japanese population declined, but the first instance when total births had dipped below the 800,000 mark. In 2020, the Asian country reported 840,832 births but the number fell to 811,604 in 2021 —&nbsp;a 3.5 per cent decline.&nbsp;

<h2>Japan on the precipice&nbsp;</h2>

The fall in birth rate does not augur well for the world's third-largest economy. Failure to replace the dead population means that there will be a shortage in the workforce.&nbsp;

Consequently, older people will be forced to fill in under&nbsp;an&nbsp;attempt to propel the economy on an upward trajectory — a highly difficult proposition from the outset.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-may-cease-to-exist-warns-pm-fumio-kishida-aide-as-birthrate-plummets-to-record-levels-569234" target="_blank">Also read | Japan may cease to exist, warns PM Fumio Kishida aide as birthrate plummets to record levels</a>

Japan is already&nbsp;the world's second-oldest country with a median age of 49. About, 28 per cent of its population is aged 65 years or older. With no young population on the bench, the economic story of Japan may come to a grinding halt.&nbsp;

Japanese PM Kishida has stated that the situation is grim and that it cannot be put in cold storage any more.&nbsp;

"Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society. Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed."

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

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For the first time since comparable data became available, the number of households with children fell below 10 million in 2022 in Japan. The population decline warning bells have been ringing for some time but the recent data paints a rather dystopic picture regarding Japan's future.

For the first time since comparable data became available, the number of households with children fell below 10 million in 2022 in Japan. The population decline warning bells have been ringing for some time but the recent data paints a rather dystopic picture regarding Japan's future. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, households with children under 18 stood at 9.917 million. down 3.4 percentage points from 2019 data to a record low of 18.3 per cent of the total. Nearly half (49.3 per cent) of these households have only one child, 38 per cent have two, while those with three or more stood at 12.7 per cent. Japan may not exist In March, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's close aide Masako Mori stated that the Asian country might cease to exist if the current trend of falling birth rate continues. "If we go on like this, the country will disappear. It's the people who have to live through the process of disappearance who will face enormous harm. It's a terrible disease that will afflict those children," warned Mori. "It's not falling gradually, it's heading straight down. A nosedive means children being born now will be thrown into a society that becomes distorted, shrinks and loses its ability to function," he added. His statement came after data showed that the number of babies born in Japan in 2022 fell below 800,000 for the first time since record-keeping began in 1899. WATCH | WION Fineprint: Japan's PM Kishida vows to raise birth rate × Twice as many people died as were born in the country with 799,728 births reported compared to 1.58 million deaths. It was a continuation of a decade-long trend where the Japanese population declined, but the first instance when total births had dipped below the 800,000 mark. In 2020, the Asian country reported 840,832 births but the number fell to 811,604 in 2021 — a 3.5 per cent decline. Japan on the precipice The fall in birth rate does not augur well for the world's third-largest economy. Failure to replace the dead population means that there will be a shortage in the workforce. Consequently, older people will be forced to fill in under an attempt to propel the economy on an upward trajectory — a highly difficult proposition from the outset. Also read | Japan may cease to exist, warns PM Fumio Kishida aide as birthrate plummets to record levels Japan is already the world's second-oldest country with a median age of 49. About, 28 per cent of its population is aged 65 years or older. With no young population on the bench, the economic story of Japan may come to a grinding halt. Japanese PM Kishida has stated that the situation is grim and that it cannot be put in cold storage any more. "Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society. Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Population collapse? Number of Japanese households with kids falls to historic low

Over 10 million Indians have lost their jobs because of the second wave of COVID-19, and around 97 per cent of households' incomes have declined since the beginning of the pandemic last year, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) chief executive Mahesh Vyas said on Monday.

The unemployment rate measured by the think-tank is expected to come at 12 per cent at the end of May as against 8 per cent in April, Vyas told PTI, adding this signifies that about 10 million Indians have lost jobs in this period.

Stating that the main reason for the job losses is "mainly the second wave" of COVID-19 infections, Vyas said, "As the economy opens up, part of the problem will be solved but not entirely."

He explained that people who lose jobs find it hard to get employment, specifying that while the informal sector jobs come back quickly, the formal sector and better quality job opportunities take up to a year to come back.

Unemployment rate had touched a record high of 23.5 per cent in May 2020 because of the national lockdown. Many experts opine that the second wave of infections has peaked and states will slowly start to ease the economic activity-impacting restrictions in a calibrated fashion.

Vyas further said an unemployment rate of 3-4 per cent should be considered as "normal" for the Indian economy, hinting that the unemployment number will have to decline for longer before the situation improves.

He said CMIE has completed a nation-wide survey of 1.75 lakh households in April which throws up worrying trends on income generation during the last one year, which has witnessed two waves of the pandemic.

Only 3 per cent of those polled said they have witnessed an increase in incomes, while 55 per cent said their incomes have declined, he said.

An additional 42 per cent of the people said their incomes remained the same as that in the year-ago period. 
"If we adjust for inflation, we find that 97 per cent of the households in the country have witnessed a decline in incomes during the pandemic," he pointed out.

The labour participation rate, or the percentage of the working age population which is in the market, has come down to 40 per cent as of now from the pre-pandemic levels of 42.5 per cent, he added.

Over 10 million Indians have lost their jobs because of the second wave of COVID-19, and around 97 per cent of households' incomes have declined since the beginning of the pandemic last year, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) chief executive Mahesh Vyas said on Monday.

Over 10 million Indians have lost their jobs because of the second wave of COVID-19, and around 97 per cent of households' incomes have declined since the beginning of the pandemic last year, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) chief executive Mahesh Vyas said on Monday. The unemployment rate measured by the think-tank is expected to come at 12 per cent at the end of May as against 8 per cent in April, Vyas told PTI, adding this signifies that about 10 million Indians have lost jobs in this period. Stating that the main reason for the job losses is "mainly the second wave" of COVID-19 infections, Vyas said, "As the economy opens up, part of the problem will be solved but not entirely." He explained that people who lose jobs find it hard to get employment, specifying that while the informal sector jobs come back quickly, the formal sector and better quality job opportunities take up to a year to come back. Unemployment rate had touched a record high of 23.5 per cent in May 2020 because of the national lockdown. Many experts opine that the second wave of infections has peaked and states will slowly start to ease the economic activity-impacting restrictions in a calibrated fashion. Vyas further said an unemployment rate of 3-4 per cent should be considered as "normal" for the Indian economy, hinting that the unemployment number will have to decline for longer before the situation improves. He said CMIE has completed a nation-wide survey of 1.75 lakh households in April which throws up worrying trends on income generation during the last one year, which has witnessed two waves of the pandemic. Only 3 per cent of those polled said they have witnessed an increase in incomes, while 55 per cent said their incomes have declined, he said. An additional 42 per cent of the people said their incomes remained the same as that in the year-ago period. "If we adjust for inflation, we find that 97 per cent of the households in the country have witnessed a decline in incomes during the pandemic," he pointed out. The labour participation rate, or the percentage of the working age population which is in the market, has come down to 40 per cent as of now from the pre-pandemic levels of 42.5 per cent, he added.

Covid second wave rendered 10 million Indians jobless; 97% households' incomes declined: Report

World's largest economy US is recovering at a fast pace. Businesses and households improved their balance sheets late last year with the help of government support, but some consumers and the smallest businesses continued to struggle.

World Business Watch: US households and businesses facing unequal recovery

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