In 2023, Japan witnessed its lowest number of annual births, totaling 758K, marking a significant 26% decline since 2013. Conversely, deaths increased by 14%, reaching 1.5M in 2023, resulting in the largest population contraction in recent years. The average number of births per woman, a key indicator of fertility, fell to 1.26 in 2022, well below the replacement rate of 2.1 required to sustain the population without immigration. The declining birth rates can be largely attributed to falling marriage rates. In 2023, only 490K unions were registered, a 5.9% drop from the previous year and the first instance in 90 years where the marriage rate dipped below half a million. This decline in marriages is a significant factor influencing the dwindling birth rates and forbodes a further decline as out-of-wedlock births are rare in Japan. Various societal factors also deter marriage and family life, including high living costs outpacing salaries, bleak job prospects, and corporate cultures that are not conducive to dual-working parents.