[HIGHLIGHTS] Last year's birth rate was 1.26, the lowest ever, and it was lower than the previous year for the seventh consecutive year.

The total fertility rate, which is an indicator of the number of children a woman gives birth to in her lifetime, was 1.1 last year. It is the seventh consecutive year that it has been lower than the previous year.

The number of Japan children born last year was 1,12, a decrease of 1,77 from adults and the lowest since statistics began in 747. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) released the approximate figures of last year's "Vital Statistics" on May 2.