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'People get very sick': Manitoba sees rise in rare, potentially fatal bacterial infection
A rise in cases of a rare bacterial infection in Manitoba has prompted health officials to issue a warning.
Japan's population has fallen for the 12th consecutive year, as deaths rise and the birth rate continues to sink, according to government data released Wednesday.
The population stood at 124.49 million in 2022 -- representing a decline of 556,000 from the previous year, figures show.
That figure represents both the natural change in population -- meaning deaths and births -- and the flow of people entering and exiting the country.
The natural change last year was the biggest on record, with a fall of 731,000 -- cushioned by the influx of people entering Japan, which provided an increase of 175,000, said Cabinet Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno in a news conference on Wednesday.
"It is essential to take firm measures to address the declining birthrate, which is a major factor in the decline in population, as one of the top priority issues to be addressed," said Matsuno.
Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, as well as one of the highest life expectancies; in 2020, nearly one in 1,500 people in Japan were age 100 or older, according to government data.
That means a swelling elderly population, shrinking workforce, and not enough young people to fill in the gaps -- posing a demographic crisis decades in the making.
The trend is seen across the country, with all of Japan's 47 prefectures except Tokyo reporting a decline in residents last year, according to the data released Wednesday. One village in central Japan recorded just one newborn child in 25 years -- a birth that was heralded as a miracle for the town's elderly residents.
The situation is so dire that Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned lawmakers in January that the country is "on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions" due to the falling birth rate.
He added that child-rearing support was the government's "most important policy," and solving the issue "simply cannot wait any longer."
Some researchers and climate scientists argue that population decline could benefit our battered ecosystems and lower emissions as the climate crisis worsens. But it also spells trouble for countries like Japan, with fewer workers to fund pensions and healthcare, and fewer people to look after the elderly.
In April, Japan launched its new Children and Families Agency, which focuses on measures to support parents such as establishing more daycare centers, and provides youth services such as counseling.
Previous similar initiatives, often carried out by local authorities, have so far failed to turn things around.
Busy urban lifestyles and long working hours leave little time for some Japanese to start families, and the rising costs of living that mean having a baby is simply too expensive for many young people.
In 2022, Japan was ranked one of the world's most expensive places to raise a child, according to research from financial institution Jefferies. And yet, the country's economy has stalled since the early 1990s, meaning frustratingly low wages and little upward mobility.
The drop in the number of Japanese nationals in the past year also highlights the government's deeply conservative views on immigration. Foreigners accounted for just 2.2% of the population in 2021, according to the Japanese government, compared to 13.6% in the United States.
These attitudes are widespread among the public, too; a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center found that about half of Japanese adults say having a diverse society makes their country a worse place to live -- though this percentage is lower than in previous years.
A rise in cases of a rare bacterial infection in Manitoba has prompted health officials to issue a warning.
A heat wave is expected to hit parts of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick this week, and it could feel as warm as 45, according to latest forecasts.
The Trooping the Colour marked the first public outing this year for the Princess of Wales, who has not been seen at any official royal engagements since December 2023. We now know that was due to abdominal surgery and preventive chemotherapy, with no return to public life anytime soon. But the Princess of Wales chose this occasion to soft launch her return to royal life, and it was eagerly anticipated.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says work is progressing simultaneously on five issues identified in the city's feeder main last week and residents are being asked for continued patience with water conservation measures.
As Canadians continue to struggle with the extremely high cost of buying a home in some of the country’s major urban centres, a new global report is underscoring just how expensive some of those markets are.
The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in May fell compared with a year ago as the average price also moved lower.
The world's nine nuclear-armed states continue to modernize their nuclear weapons as the countries deepened their reliance on such deterrence in 2023, a Swedish think tank said Monday.
Many people with diabetes in Canada will soon be able to take insulin once a week instead of daily, drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk announced on Monday.
Cases of a dangerous and highly fatal bacterial infection have reached record levels in Japan, official figures show, with experts so far unable to pinpoint the reason for the rise.
For some, living on the moon is an idea that is truly out of this world. But for others, it’s a concept edging closer to reality.
Halifax chef Lauren Marshall was working in the Bahamas on a special event in February when she fainted and fell from a golf cart, hitting the back of her head.
The thunderstorm that hit Ottawa Thursday evening was accompanied by heavy rain and lightning that struck a house in Orléans.
Canadian and U.S. ironworkers shook hands across the border as the Gordie Howe bridge deck officially becomes an international crossing.
Age may be just a number to George Steciuk, but it’s just one of many that add up to one inspirational athlete.
It has taken more than 100 years, but Almonte’s forgotten soldier, George B. Monterville has had his name etched back into history.
For Father's Day, CP24.com and CTVNewsToronto.ca reached out to local politicians, community advocates, and other prominent figures in the city to ask them to share what important lesson they have learned from their dads.
Fancy Pokket owner Mike Timani has decided to create a 220-foot long flat bread to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
If certain goals that are in the Paris Climate Accord aren't met, the existence of polar bears in the Hudson Bay may come to an end.