The number of births in Tokyo rose by 4.7 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, significantly outpacing the national increase.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 41,745 Japanese babies were born in Tokyo between January and June, up 1,864 from the same period last year.

The number of births also increased for four consecutive months, from March through June.

Nationwide, the number of births in the first half of 2026 also rose for the first time in 11 years. However, the increase was just 0.4 percent compared with the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Japan’s overall fertility rate continues to fall.

While Tokyo continues to see birth numbers rise at a rate well above the national average, the other 46 prefectures collectively recorded a decrease of 485 births.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the total fertility rate—the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime—fell by 0.01 points from 2024 to 1.14 in 2025.

That figure remains far below the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.07, which is considered necessary to maintain the population over the long term.