Number of foreign babies born in Japan hit record in 2025 - NHKニュース

The number of children born to foreign nationals in Japan hit a record high last year for the third consecutive year.

Based on the demographic data released by the Japanese health ministry last month, NHK compared babies born to Japanese nationals with those born to foreign nationals living in the country.

The number of babies born to Japanese nationals in 2025 stood at 671,270, marking a record low, while the number of those born to foreign residents was 23,015, a record high.

Tokyo registered the largest number of foreign babies at 4,124, followed by Aichi Prefecture at 2,471 and Saitama Prefecture at 2,153.

NHK also looked at the number of newborns registered in 815 cities and wards published by the government. In 2019, only 10 municipalities recorded the number of foreign babies exceeding 10 percent of the total. Last year, the number of municipalities increased threefold to 31.

Nationwide, foreign babies account for just over 3 percent of all births. But in some areas facing low birthrates and acute labor shortages, the proportion exceeds 20 percent. Examples include Atami City in Shizuoka Prefecture at 24.6 percent, Joso City in Ibaraki Prefecture at 22.5 percent and Warabi City in Saitama Prefecture at 21.2 percent.

Experts say one of the factors behind the increases is that more foreign nationals are now working in Japan under a residence status that allows them to bring their families to Japan.

Professor Kondo Atsushi of Meijo University says that foreign children growing up and living in Japan could become pillars of local communities as Japan's population continues to decline. He said there needs to be an environment where both foreign and Japanese children can grow and thrive.