日本面临人口危机：去年，日本的生育率降至1.2，创历史新低。今年上半年，日本出生率持续下降，政府将采取一系列措施解决这一问题。
Japan Releases More Alarming Data in Population Update
日本最新人口数据令人担忧
The birth rate in Japan continued to decline in the first half of this year, deepening a trend Tokyo says will be irreversible by the next decade. Asia’s second-largest economy faces a severe demographic challenge, with its aging population poised to strain social welfare and threaten a number of industries, including education. National and local governments have introduced measures like increased childcare spending and immigration reforms to counter the crisis.
今年上半年，日本的出生率持续下降，加重了东京预言的未来十年不可逆转的趋势。亚洲第二大经济体面临严峻的人口挑战，其人口老龄化将给社会福利带来压力，并威胁到包括教育在内的多个行业。国家和地方政府采取了增加育儿支出和移民改革等措施来应对危机。
Japan recorded 350,074 births between January and June, an almost 6 percent drop compared to last year, according to health ministry data. This figure is the lowest since 1969, when Tokyo began reporting the biannual statistic. It also marks the third-consecutive year with fewer than 400,000 births in the first six months, and a sharper decline than the 3.6 percent drop in the year-earlier period.
卫生部数据显示，今年1月至6月，日本共出生350074人，与去年相比下降了近6%。这一数据是自1969年东京开始一年两次统计数据以来的最低值。这也是连续第三年上半年的出生人口低于40万，比去年同期3.6%的降幅更大。
Meanwhile, 811,819 deaths were reported in the super-aged society, a rise of nearly 2 percent from the January-June period in 2023—another 55-year record, according to local media.
与此同时，据当地媒体报道，超高龄社会的死亡人数为811819人，比2023年1-6月增加了近2%，再创55年来的新高。
Japanese health minister, Keizo Takemi, called the situation “extremely critical” at a press conference Tuesday. He warned that the number of young people will sharply decrease in the 2030s, calling the next six years Japan's “last chance.”
周二，日本卫生部长武见敬在的新闻发布会上称形势“极为严峻”。他表示，21世纪30年代年轻人的数量将急剧减少，并称未来六年是日本“最后的机会”。
“We are constantly thinking about how to implement effective measures to address the declining birth rate without waiting for this period,” Takemi added.
“我们一直在思考如何采取有效的措施来解决出生率下降的问题，而不是坐以待毙，”武见敬补充道。
He stressed that the ministry has requested a budget including measures to raise wages among younger Japanese and expand access to childcare and postnatal parental leave to encourage child-rearing.
他强调，政府已采取措施，如提高日本年轻人的工资，以及扩大儿童保育和产后育儿假以鼓励育儿。
These statistics were released as Japan’s parliament approved a revision to legislation aimed at boosting support for current parents by expanding financial aid, parental leave and childcare access.
这些数据发布之际，旨在通过扩大财政援助、育儿假和托儿服务，为父母提供更多支持。
Funding will come from the $34 billion earmarked for childcare and family support in the fiscal year 2024 budget. The government plans to allocate $23 billion in taxes toward this effort over three years.
2024财政预算将拨出340亿美元专门用于儿童保育和家庭支持。政府计划在三年内为此拨款230亿美元。
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made boosting the birth rate a national priority, previously pledging to double national childcare spending within a decade.
日本首相岸田文雄已将提高出生率列为国家头等大事，此前他曾承诺在十年内将全国儿童保育支出翻一番。
Analysts have noted that Japanese policymakers have concentrated on helping families with children but have not addressed the concerns of younger people, who are hesitant to start families due to career pressures and financial challenges.
分析人士指出，日本决策者一直重视有子女的家庭，但没有解决年轻人的担忧，他们因工作压力和经济困难而对成家犹豫不决。
“Simple economic support, such as increasing benefits, will not easily solve the serious problem of the declining birth rate,” economist Takahide Kiuchi wrote in a June report for Japan’s Nomura Research Institute.
经济学家木内登英在6月份为日本野村研究所撰写的一份报告中写道：“简单的经济支持，如增加福利，并不能轻易解决出生率下降的严重问题。”
The economist noted that Japan’s conservative mindset surrounding child-rearing, particularly the heavy burden placed on women, needs to change. More than 80 percent of women take parental leave, compared to just 14 percent of men, most of whom take less than two weeks.
他指出，日本在养育子女方面的保守心态，尤其是妇女所承受的沉重负担，需要改变。80%以上的女性休产假，相比之下，只有14%的男性休产假，其中大多数人的产假不到两周。
The fertility rate in Japan, or average number of children expected per woman during her lifetime, dipped to a record low of 1.2 last year. Meanwhile, people aged 65 and over now account for 30 percent of the population, making Japan a so-called super-aged society.
去年，日本的生育率（即每个妇女育龄期生育的子女总数）降至1.2，创历史新低。与此同时，65岁及以上人口目前占总人口的30%，使日本成为所谓的超级老龄化国家。
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