Japan newborn babies in 2014 fewest on record

TOKYO: Japan's estimated number of newborn babies last year fell to 1.001 million, the lowest figure on record, further contributing to the ageing and shrinking of the country's population, official data showed on Thursday.

The number marked an all-time low for the fourth straight year, the health, labor and welfare ministry said, while the estimated number of people who died in 2014 totaled 1.269 million, rising for the fifth straight year.