Japanese pets now outnumber the number of children under the age of 16

“...for the first time, according to JPFA data, the nation's 19.2 million population of cats and dogs exceeded the population of 17.9 million children aged under 16. By 2009, that gulf had become even wider as the total of 23.2 million cats and dogs came to outnumber children by 6 million.

Source: Japan's love affair with dogs and cats
By ERIKO ARITA
The Japan Times: Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/fl20100228x1.html