The population of Japan has fallen below 120 million for the first time in 42 years. The country recorded a decrease of over 910,000 people in the past year, marking the largest decline since the start of population surveys. Meanwhile, the number of foreign residents in Japan has surpassed 4 million for the first time.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported on July 29 that as of January 1 this year, the Japanese population stood at 119,736,483. This represents a decrease of 916,744 people (0.76%) from the previous year, falling below 120 million for the first time since 1984. Both the number and rate of decline are the highest since the surveys began in 1968. The Japanese population has been decreasing for 17 consecutive years since peaking in 2009.
The natural decrease was also the largest on record. The Asahi Shimbun reported that the number of births in Japan last year was the lowest ever at 670,467. Deaths were recorded at 1,593,475, a decrease from the previous year. The number of births was 923,008 less than the number of deaths.
By age group, the proportion of children has decreased while the share of elderly individuals has increased. According to the Asahi, the working-age population (ages 15-64) among Japanese residents is 70,748,417, accounting for 59.1% of the total. The population aged 0-14 is 13,323,730, which is down 0.25 percentage points to 11.13%, while those aged 65 and older number 35,664,327, an increase of 0.21 percentage points to 29.79%.
Regionally, the only area where the Japanese population increased was Tokyo. All other 46 prefectures saw declines. The largest decrease was in Hokkaido, with a drop of 58,104 people, while Akita Prefecture recorded the highest rate of decline at 1.95%. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the only regions where the number of Japanese moving in exceeded those moving out were Tokyo and the four surrounding prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa, as well as seven other areas including Aichi, Osaka, and Fukuoka.
In contrast, the foreign population increased in all 47 prefectures. The number of foreign residents reached 4,031,159, an increase of 353,696 (9.62%) from the previous year, the highest since records began in 2013. The number of foreigners moving to Japan from abroad also hit a record high of 720,988.
Among foreign residents, 86.17% are of working age (15-64 years). The largest age group is those aged 25-29. Foreigners now make up 3.26% of the total population, with Tokyo having the highest proportion at 5.57%.
The combined total population of Japanese and foreign residents is 123,767,642, a decrease of 563,048 from the previous year. The total population increased in only three areas: Tokyo, Osaka, and Chiba. The overall working-age population accounts for 59.97% of the total, with a decline in the Japanese working-age population while the foreign working-age population has increased.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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