According to figures released by the Internal Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, the population of Japanese nationals fell to just over 120.65 million in 2024. That’s around 908,000 fewer than the previous year, a record drop. At 0.75%, it’s also the largest rate of decline since record-keeping began 57 years ago. A total of 46 prefectures saw a decrease in numbers. The only place that didn’t was Tokyo, which saw an increase of 0.13%.
Japanese Population Decreases for 16th Consecutive Year
The population of Japanese residents peaked at 127 million in 2009. Since then, it has been declining year-on-year and is forecast to fall below 120 million in 2026. The nation’s total population for 2024 was a little over 124.33 million, down 0.44% (554,485) from a year earlier. As for the number of foreigners living in Japan, the number rose by more than 350,000 to 3.77 million. It’s the largest increase since the ministry started keeping records of overseas residents in 2013.
Due to a rapidly aging population and plunging birth rates, Japan has increasingly been opening its doors to workers from overseas in recent years. This rise in foreign residents and how to deal with them became a major topic of discussion during the recent Upper House election as the ultranationalist right-wing party Sanseito won over voters with its assertion that Japan is being threatened by a “silent invasion” of foreigners. Led by Sohei Kamiya, it secured 14 seats, having held just one before the election.
Number of Births in Japan Hits Record Low
The country, though, is facing a population crisis and immigration is seen by many as the only viable potential solution to the problem. The government here has launched various initiatives to encourage couples to have children. None of them have had any impact. According to ministry figures, only 687,689 babies were born in Japan in 2024, a record low. In contrast, the number of deaths reached a record high of almost 1.6 million last year.
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