BBC News Reports First Rise in Japan's Birthrate in Six Years

Japan birth rate shows rare rise
BBC News
Japan has seen a rise in its birth rate for the first time in six years, government statistics show.
The number of births for 2006 has been estimated at 1,086,000, an increase of 23,000 from a year earlier.

But the health ministry expects the rate to fall this year and continue a downward trend that may see a 30% drop in the population in the next 50 years.
Japan has the highest number of elderly people and the lowest number of young as a percentage of its population.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to bring in policies that will prevent the falls in birth rates.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6222257.stm