離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Japan, Short on Babies, Reaches a Worrisome Milestone－日本少子化來到令人憂心的里程碑
日本得少子化問題日趨嚴重，去年新生兒出生人數首度低於100萬。圖為日本公立托兒所。（法新社）
◎張沛元
Since Japan began counting its newborns more than a century ago, more than a million infants have been added to its population each year.
打從日本從一個多世紀以前開始計算新生兒人數起，其人口每年增加100多萬名嬰兒。
No longer, in the latest discomforting milestone for a country facing a steep population decline. Last year, the number of births in Japan dropped below one million for the first time, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said on Friday.
然而，隨著面臨人口驟降的日本來到令人不安的最新里程碑，此情此景不再。日本厚生勞動省週五表示，日本去年新生兒出生人數首度低於100萬。
The shrinking of the country’s population － deaths have outpaced births for several years － is already affecting the economy in areas including the job and housing markets, consumer spending and long-term investment plans at businesses.
日本人口縮減—死亡率多年來超越出生率—已對包括就業、房市、消費支出與企業長期投資計畫等經濟領域造成影響。
After Japan’s population hit a peak of 128 million at the start of the current decade, it shrank by close to a million in the five years through 2015, according to census data. Demographers expect it to plunge by a third by 2060, to as few as 80 million people － a net loss of a million a year, on average.
人口普查數據顯示，在日本人口於最近10年之初達到1億2800萬的最高峰後，至2015年底的5年來已減少近100萬人。人口統計專家預計，日本人口在2060年前將驟減3分之1，也就是剩下8000萬人，平均每年淨減少100萬人。
《新聞辭典》
short on something：慣用語，缺少某物；類似用法，long on something，以…見長。例句：His novels are long for entertainment but short on depth.（他的小說極具娛樂性，但缺乏深度。）
add to something：慣用語，添加。例句：The increase in fuel prices will add to the cost of living in the city. （油價上漲將增加都市生活開銷。）
outpace：動詞，速度上超過，比…更快。
