The number of births in Japan in 2024 is likely to fall below 700,000 for the first time on record after government data showed on Tuesday that the figure in the first half fell by 6.3 percent from a year earlier to 329,998, Kyodo News reported.

Health Ministry data for the six-month period from January, excluding foreigners, reflects the birth rate remaining at record lows in the past years, as more people choose not to marry or delay marriage and have children until later in life, the report said.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths in the year through June rose by 1.8 percent from a year earlier to 800,274, resulting in a natural population decline of 470,276.

With its population declining for the 15th consecutive year in 2023, Japan is seeking to raise the birth rate by expanding childcare allowances and providing benefits for taking parental leave, among other measures, as it considers the period up until the early 2030s the "last chance" to reverse the birthrate crisis, the report said.

Preliminary data released by the ministry in August showed that the number of babies born in Japan, including to foreigners, as well as to Japanese citizens residing overseas, fell by 5.7 percent from a year earlier to a record low of 350,074 in the January to June period.