A government report in April shows that the number of people born in Japan in the Showa Era (1926-1989) fell to below 100 million for the first time since 1984.

The number of those born in the Heisei Era (1989-present) however, rose to 20.817 million, breaching 20 million for the first time.

The percentage of Showa births to total population reached a peak of 85.6% in 1988, and declined to 78.2% in 2006.

As of 1 October 2006, Japan's population had fallen in 37 of the 47 prefectures.

Interestingly, Akita Prefecture, a rural area in northern Japan, showed the largest percentage of population increase at 0.74%, more than Tokyo at 0.66%.

Tokyo, though, exhibited its highest population increase rate for the fourth straight year, giving rise to a total of 12.659 million people.

The southern island prefecture of Okinawa had the highest percentage of 14-year-olds and under (18.4%), with Tokyo having the lowest (11.6%).

Figures are based on projections from the 2005 national census and monthly estimates by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications