Japan births, fertility rates dropped to record low in 2025: Report

Pedestrians walk across a street in Tokyo, Japan on July 8, 2021. (Christopher Jue/Xinhua/IANS File Photo)

Tokyo, (IANS): The number of babies born in Japan to Japanese citizens in 2025 dropped to a record low of 671,236, while the country's total fertility rate also reduced to a new low, government data revealed on Wednesday, local media reported.

Births in Japan reduced by 2.2 per cent or 14,937 from the previous year, and the fertility rate dropped by 0.01 percentage point to 1.14, both witnessing a decline for the 10th consecutive year. However, the rate slowed in comparison to recent trends, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare revealed in a data, Japan's leading Kyodo News Agency reported. The slow pace of drop in the number of newborns may be due to the stable population of 25 to 35-year-olds who were born around the 1990s.

The number of marriages, a key factor attributable for future birth trends, increased for the second consecutive year to 489,119, with the average age of men getting married at 31.0 while women at 29.7, both down from the previous year.

Meanwhile, 1,589,489 deaths were reported in Japan, down for the first time in five years, as per the data. Deaths outnumbered births by 918,253, marking the 19th straight year of drop in the population.

Earlier in May, government data revealed that child population in Japan has reduced to an estimated 13.29 million as of April 1, showcasing a decline of 350,000 from a year earlier and marking a new record low. The figure has declined for 45th consecutive year.

The ratio of children aged below 15 years dropped 0.3 percentage point to 10.8 per cent of the total population, lowest since comparable data became available in 1950, according to data released by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, Kyodo News reported.

The figures, including foreign residents, were calculated based on population estimates mentioned in national census conducted every five years.

The decline in population has continued for 45 years despite several measures taken by the Japanese government like increasing financial support for families who are raising a child. In order to address the declining birthrate, the Japanese government has declared the period through 2030 as a "final opportunity to reverse the trend."According to the data, there were 6.81 boys and 6.48 million girls. As many as 3.09 million children were aged between 12-14 years while 2.13 million were zero to two years, showcasing a trend of fewer children being born. Japan births, fertility rates dropped to record low in 2025: Report | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → June 07, 2026

Batteries That Use Sodium Instead of Lithium Could Be Low-Cost Rival to Tesla’s

Sodium-ion batteries providing large-scale energy storage in China – CREDIT: Datang power company / HiNa Battery

A new study shows that a low-cost sodium-ion battery currently used in cars and large-scale energy storage systems in China matches most performance parameters and production quality found in Tesla’s lithium-ion batteries.

Since sodium is much more abundant and widely available than lithium, using it for batteries could cut raw material costs for manufacturers and reduce supply chain risks that surround critical minerals.

Conducted by a German university, the research published on May 28 in the Cell Press journal Physical Science, looked at the battery designed by Hina, a spin-off company of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that has partnered with automakers like JAC to provide EV batteries.

It shows that “once the sodium-ion (or Na-ion) battery is tweaked to charge more effectively at low temperatures and function better at high energy densities, it could provide a cost-effective alternative for future electric vehicle batteries”.

“The combination of good uniformity, high power capability, and strong low‑temperature performance makes these cells attractive for stationary storage, grid services, and shorter‑range or commercial vehicles where potential lower cost and resource availability matter more than maximum driving range,” said Moritz Schütte, a battery researcher at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

To assess how HiNa batteries compare to more advanced Tesla batteries, Schütte’s team used a non-destructive technique called impedance spectroscopy to measure the uniformity of 120 sodium-ion battery cells. Next, to map out the power and energy performances of individual cells under real-life conditions, the team tested the batteries at varying currents and at temperatures from −20 °C to 45 °C. They also used X-rays to see the battery’s internal structure, then opened up the cells to measure their electrode dimensions, compositions, and microstructures.

They found that the battery uses a tabless (design), a double-aluminum current collector design that reduces resistance and ensures a uniform temperature distribution—and also mirrors the current design of Tesla batteries.

“We were positively surprised by how uniform the cells are,” says Schütte.

However, the sodium-ion battery has some limitations when it comes to energy density and charging at low temperatures. “The high‑power performance was better than one might expect from an early commercial sodium‑ion product,” says Schütte.

“For applications that require frequent charging at low ambient temperatures, appropriate thermal management or operating strategies will be important because low-temperature charging remains a clear weakness.”

The researchers also found unexpectedly high, unevenly distributed levels of copper in certain cathode regions of the battery, which “raises interesting questions about its role in performance and aging,” said Schütte.

“It will be exciting to see future sodium-ion technologies that are free of nickel and copper, as well, while achieving competitive energy density.”

Sodium-ion batteries also perform well under load at low temperatures, making them an appealing option for both stationary power storage and mobile applications in cold climates.

“However, today’s commercial sodium-ion cells generally have lower energy density than the best lithium-ion cells, and the technology is less mature overall,” said Schütte.

Next, the authors plan to better understand and improve upon the battery’s charging capabilities at low temperatures so that they can charge more safely and efficiently below 0°C. Further research should also focus on optimizing the materials used to make sodium-ion batteries, added Schütte.

“Advances in hard‑carbon anodes and electrolyte formulations may be especially promising,” he said.This work was supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Batteries That Use Sodium Instead of Lithium Could Be Low-Cost Rival to Tesla’s

Read More........ → June 05, 2026