For the fourteenth year running, Japan’s population has slumped to a record low. The non-foreign population dropped by nearly 900,000 — an unprecedented fall.
Japan is seeking to reverse its shrinking birth rate but the effects are yet to be seenImage: Issel Kato/REUTERSJapan’s citizen population dipped to 120.3 million as of October 2024, official data showed on Monday, marking a record drop of 898,000 people from the previous year.
The country’s birth rate is among the lowest in the world, leading to big problems for society and business — a shrinking workforce and fewer consumers.
How do Japan’s population figures stack up?
The fall — the 13th consecutive non-foreign population slide — was the largest since the government began collecting comparable data in 1950, according to the Interior Ministry.
Including foreign nationals, the population also fell by 550,000 people to 123.8 million — the 14th straight annual fall.
Only two prefectures, Tokyo and neighboring Saitama, had population increases with numbers falling in the country’s remaining 45 prefectures.
Akita prefecture, in the northern part of Honshu island, showed the most marked decline.
Japan’s population peaked in 2008, and since then it has steadily shrunk because of a declining birthrate.
What can Japan do to halt the slide?
In a briefing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the Japanese government had been trying to offer help to young would-be parents who feel too economically constricted to have children.