Tokyo (CNN) The number of children in Japan has fallen for the 37th straight year in a row, a sign the country's attempts to offset the country's severely aging population are failing.

As of April 1, 2018, there were 15.53 million children under the age of 14 in Japan, down 170,000 from the previous year, continuing a downward slide which started in 1981, according to data released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.

The largest segment was also the oldest, with 3.26 million 12 to 14-year-olds, suggesting the downward trend isn't going to end any time soon.

Despite attempts by the Shinzo Abe government to encourage Japanese to have more children, only Tokyo reported more children compared to the previous year.

Japan's total population currently stands at 126 million. Children made up just 12.3% of that figure, compared to 18.9% for the US, 16.8% for China, and 30.8% for India.