Japan's births rise for first time in 11 years, driven by Tokyo

The number of babies born to Japanese nationals in the first half of 2026 increased for the first time in 11 years, led by a rise in births in Tokyo and other urban areas, according to health ministry data.

Japan recorded 320,458 births between January and June, up 0.4% from the same period last year. It was the first first-half increase since 2015, when births rose 2.6% year-on-year.

Tokyo registered 41,745 births, marking its third consecutive first-half increase. "[The increase in] births in Tokyo is driving the national trend," The Yomiuri Shimbun quoted an official in charge of children's policy at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as saying.

Tokyo counts seamless support, from meeting a partner through marriage, childbirth, child-rearing and balancing work, among its top priorities. Its measures include free daycare for firstborn children, including those under 3, and a monthly payment of ¥5,000 ($32) for every child up to age 18 under a program called 018 Support.

A family with two young children by the Meguro River in Tokyo during cherry blossom season. Photo by Yanhao Fang/Unsplash

Nationwide, births rose in 24 of Japan's 47 prefectures, many of them urban areas such as Tokyo, Aichi and Fukuoka, and fell in 23, The Japan Times reported. Tokyo's 4.7% gain was the highest of any prefecture.

Excluding Tokyo, which accounted for about an eighth of first-half births, the other 46 prefectures recorded a combined 0.2% decline.

Deaths still far outpaced births, reaching 766,746 in the six months, well over double the number of babies born, and outnumbered births in every prefecture.

Japan recorded 671,270 births in 2025, a record low and the 10th straight annual decline, according to final ministry figures released Sept. 30. The total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, fell to an all-time low of 1.14. Tokyo had the lowest rate of any prefecture, at 0.96, in preliminary data published in June.