Japan population down for 13th straight year

KYODO – Japan’s population fell 595,000 from a year earlier to total 124,352,000 as of Oct 1, declining for the 13th consecutive year, government data showed Friday.

The population of Japanese nationals fell 837,000 in 2023 from a year earlier to 121,193,000, marking the largest drop since comparable data became available in 1950, according to a demographic survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Foreign workers and students who had been in Japan for three months or longer were counted in the overall population figure, according to the ministry.

In September last year, the ministry reported that one out of 10 people in Japan is now aged 80 or older, while the ratio of elderly to the total population rose to a record high.

A general view of Gunma prefecture, Japan, in April 2024. (Photo: Jetjaras Na Ranong)

A general view of Gunma prefecture, Japan, in April 2024. (Photo: Jetjaras Na Ranong)

A general view of Gunma prefecture, Japan, in April 2024. (Photo: Jetjaras Na Ranong)