Tokyo, July 30: Japan’s population of Japanese citizens has dropped to 119,736,483 as of January 1 this year. This marks the first time in 42 years that the number has fallen below 120 million, according to government data.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported a decrease of 917,000 Japanese citizens compared to the previous year. This is the largest decline recorded since data collection began in 1968.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo is the only one of Japan’s 47 prefectures to see a slight increase of 0.09 percent in its population of Japanese citizens.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign residents in Japan has reached a record high of 4,031,159, an increase of 354,000 from last year. This figure is the highest since counting began in 2013.
Including foreign nationals, Japan’s total population stands at 123,767,642, which is approximately 563,000 less than last year. Only Tokyo, Chiba, and Osaka prefectures experienced population growth.
Earlier in May, government statistics revealed a continuous decline in the number of children in Japan. As of April 1, the estimated number of children under 15 years old has fallen to 13.29 million, a decrease of 350,000 from the previous year. This is the lowest level recorded to date, marking the 45th consecutive year of decline in child population.
According to a report by Kyodo News, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications stated that the share of children under 15 years in the total population has dropped by 0.3 percentage points to 10.8 percent, the lowest since 1950.
These figures include foreign nationals and are based on the national census conducted every five years. Japan’s population decline has been ongoing for the past 45 years. The government has implemented various measures, such as increasing financial support for families raising children, but the birth rate continues to fall. The Japanese government has labeled the period until 2030 as the “last chance” to reverse this trend of declining birth rates.
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