Tokyo, Mar 27 (EFE).- Japan's leading paper manufacturer and one of the country's largest nappy makers, Oji Holdings, announced that it will stop producing diapers for the baby market due to declining birth rates and instead focus on adults.

"From September this year, we will cease production of children's diapers and strengthen our adult disposable diaper business, a market expected to grow," subsidiary Oji Nepia said in a statement.

The company has been producing around 400 million infant nappies annually for the domestic market. Production has been falling since 2001 when it hit its peak with 700 million diapers.

However, the production of infant nappies is expected to continue in Indonesia and Malaysia for foreign markets where birth rates are still rising.

In 2023, the number of newborns in Japan fell by 5.1%, a historic low below 800,000 births, while the those aged 65 and older already accounts for 29% of the population, making Japan the second oldest country in the world after Monaco.

The fertility rate in Japan stands at 1.3 children per woman, similar to that of other neighboring countries and in line with other major powers, but the generational replacement rate is particularly alarming, which is affecting the country's demographic pyramid.

"Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society," said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2023, highlighting that childbirth would be "a priority issue" during his tenure.

Facing its demographic crisis, Japan launched a new government agency in April 2023 tasked with coordinating policies to support childbirth and child-rearing, aiming to develop "a child-centered society." EFE

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