Record 1.19 million Japanese died in the country in 2010+

TOKYO, Jan. 1 Kyodo -
An estimated 1,194,000 Japanese died in the country in 2010, an all-time high
since the government began compiling comparable data in 1947, Health, Labor and
Welfare Ministry data showed Friday.
The data also showed an estimated 1,071,000 babies were born in the country, up
slightly from the previous year.
The natural population decline in 2010 -- the difference between births and
deaths -- stood at 123,000, also a record high. The previous record was a
decline of 71,830 in 2009.
''The number of deaths is on the rise due to aging and the number of births
will not grow because of a decline in the population of women who give birth,''
a ministry official said, adding that the difference ''will continue to be
greater in the future.''
The number of deaths in 2009 decreased 542 from 2008 to 1,141,865, but it grew
by around 52,000 in 2010, partly because a large number of elderly people
succumbed to extreme heat during the summer, according to the official.
The three top causes of death were the same as in previous years with cancer
accounting for 352,000, heart diseases for 189,000 and cerebral strokes for
123,000.
The number of couples that got married in 2010 came to 706,000, down 2,000 from
2009, while divorced couples numbered 251,000, also down 2,000.
==Kyodo