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The number of babies born in Japan last year fell to a new low for an eighth straight year, government data shows.
日本政府数据显示，去年日本出生的婴儿数量连续第八年降至新低。
In addition, the number of marriages continues to drop.
此外，结婚人数也在持续下降。
The Health and Welfare Ministry reported Tuesday that 758,631 babies were born in Japan in 2023.
日本厚生劳动省周二报告称，2023年日本新生儿数量为758631名。
That represented a 5.1 percent decline from the year earlier.
这比去年同期下降了5.1%。
It was the lowest number of births since Japan started recording the statistics in 1899.
这是日本自1899年开始记录这一数据以来的最低出生人数。
The number of marriages fell by 5.9 percent to 489,281 couples, falling below a half-million for the first time in 90 years.
结婚人数下降了5.9%，为489281对，90年来首次低于50万对。
Fewer marriages are one of the reasons for fewer births.
结婚率下降是生育率下降的原因之一。
Having children outside of marriage is rare in the East Asian country.
在这个东亚国家，婚外生子是很少见的。
Opinion studies show that many younger Japanese do not want to marry or have families.
民意调查显示，许多年轻的日本人不想结婚（即成家）。
They note the lack of good jobs and high cost of living as reasons.
他们指出，缺乏好工作和高生活成本是原因。
Some say the working culture in Japanese businesses makes it hard for both parents to work.
有些人表示，日本的企业文化让父母双方都很难工作。
Young parents say they often feel isolated as people do not want to hear crying babies or children playing outside.
年轻的父母表示，他们经常感到孤立，因为人们不想听到婴儿的哭闹声或孩子在外面玩耍。
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi called the ongoing declining birth rate "critical."
日本内阁官房长官林芳正称目前持续下降的出生率是“严重的”。
He said, "The period over the next six years or so until (the) 2030s, when the younger population will start declining rapidly, will be the last chance we may be able to reverse the trend."
他说：“在未来六年左右的时间里，直到本世纪30年代，年轻人口数量将会开始迅速减少，这将是我们能够扭转这一趋势的最后机会。”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the low birth numbers "the biggest crisis Japan faces."
日本首相岸田文雄称低出生率是“日本面临的最大危机”。
He has introduced several measures to give financial support for childbirth, children, and their families.
他推出了几项措施，为生育、孩子及其家庭提供财政支持。
But experts say they doubt whether the government's efforts will work because they have largely centered on people who already are married or are planning to have children.
但专家表示，他们怀疑日本政府所采取的措施是否会奏效，因为这些措施主要集中在已经结婚或计划生育的人群身上。
The measures do not deal with a growing population of young people who are not getting married or planning to have a family.
这些措施并没有解决越来越多的不结婚（即不计划组建家庭）的年轻人的问题。
The number of births in Japan has been falling for 50 years after a peak of about 2.1 million.
日本出生人口在达到约210万的峰值后，50年来一直在下降。
The decrease to a yearly number below 760,000 has happened faster than expected.
日本出生人口每年减少到76万以下的速度比预期的要快。
Experts had predicted that it would take place by 2035.
专家曾预测，日本出生人口将会在2035年之前减少到76万以下。
Japan's population of more than 125 million is expected to drop to 87 million by 2070, with four out of every 10 people at age 65 or older.
日本目前的人口超过1.25亿，预计到2070年将降至8700万，40%人口的年龄在65岁及以上。
A shrinking and aging population has a big effect on the economy and national security.
人口萎缩和老龄化对经济和国家安全产生了很大影响。
Recently, Japan lost its spot as the world's third-largest economy, falling behind Germany.
最近，日本失去了世界第三大经济体的地位，落后于德国。
I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
小马里奥·里特为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
