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01-02-2007, 10:35 AM
mainichi The number of Japanese 20-year-olds -- the age from which people are legally considered adults -- who saw in the start of 2007 is the lowest on record, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced. The figure is estimated to be 1.39 million, or 1.09 percent of the total population. This undercuts the previous lowest figure of 1.12 percent, recorded in 1987 and 2006. The number of 20 year-olds has been dropping since it peaked at 2.07 million, or 1.66 percent, in 1994. Ministry officials estimate that the figure will fall below 1 percent in either 2010 or 2011. End.