Tokyo Sees 1st Increase in Japanese Births in 10 Years; Koike Credits Rise to City Government’s Support Measures

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:08 JST, April 13, 2026

The number of Japanese babies born in Tokyo from January through November of 2025 rose 0.7% year-on-year to 77,375, and the total for the year is expected to surpass that for 2024. It will be the first time in 10 years that the number of Japanese births in Tokyo has increased compared to the previous year.

Gov. Yuriko Koike announced the finding at a regular press conference on Friday and added, “We also expect a significant increase in the number of marriages for the second consecutive year.” She touted the effectiveness of measures taken under her administration, saying, “The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been working to provide seamless support so that people who wish to marry and have children can take those first steps with peace of mind.”

The total number of births for all of 2025 is expected to be announced around early June of this year.

Preliminary figures for the entire year, including foreign nationals, released by the national government in late February showed that the number of births in Tokyo increased by 1.3% year-on-year to 88,518, marking the first increase in nine years.