‘Japan will go extinct’: Expert warns that low birthrates will wipe out Japanese population soon, develops a ‘ticking clock’ to display data

The country of Japan is usually revered for the advances it makes in technology and science. However, a novel concern has come to the fore regarding the country where the experts claim that the country might go extinct if the birth rate continues to decline. Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor at Tohoku University’s Research Center for Aged Economy and Society says that by January 5th, 2720, the country will have just one child under the age of 14.

As per the reports, the professor has been maintaining a conceptual clock that reveals that the fertility rate in the country is rapidly declining. The real-time numerical data studied by the authority shows the number of children in the current year and the previous years and tracks the diminishing trend. Based on every year’s data, the clock projects the year when the child population would shrink to only one.

As per recent calculations, around 695 years from now, the country will be left with no people, just a minor aged below 14. The projection, updated annually since April 2012 is part of Professor Yoshida’s effort to draw attention to Japan’s population crisis. The estimate released recently reflects an annual decrease of 2.3% in the child population, raising concerns over the diminishing numbers in the upcoming years.

The birth rate in Japan reached low to the mark of 1.20 in 2023. The reasons attributed to this are loss of interest in people, fewer marriages, and a huge number of people choosing the lives of singles. The government data released by the country revealed that the number of birth rates fell more in the first half of 2024, the lowest since 1969. “Between January and June last year, Japan recorded 350,074 births, a 5.7 percent drop from the same period in 2023,” a report by the health ministry added.

Reports mention that the downward trend in births is concerning forcing the Japanese policymakers to strive to implement extraordinary measures to prevent the declining birth rates. The national leaders and experts meanwhile are describing the trend as deeply alarming.