The number of births in Japan has increased for the first time in six years

BBC News:

Almost 550,000 births were registered in the six months from January to June, up by more than 11,600 from the same period last year.

An increase will be welcome news for Japan, which recorded its lowest ever birth rate in 2005, of just 1.25 babies per woman over a lifetime.

A rate of 2.1 is needed to keep the population level static.

The declining birthrate and rising elderly population pose serious concerns for Japan, and the government has recently introduced a spate of measures to encourage women to have more children.

Health ministry official Sayuri Narahara told the Associated Press that the recent increase in births might be due to economic growth and improvement in employment.

The ministry report also recorded an increase in the number of marriages in the first half of the year - up 10,936 from the same period in 2005.

Japanese demographics