Japan's population has fallen for a 12th straight year as deaths rise and the birth rate continues to fall, according to government data released on Wednesday (April 12th).
It was 124.49 million in 2022 – representing a drop of 556,000 from the previous year.
This figure represents both the natural change in population - meaning deaths and births - and the flow of people entering and leaving the country.
Last year's natural change was the largest on record, with a decline of 731,000 - tempered by the influx of people entering Japan, which provided an increase of 175,000, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference. Wednesday.
"It is essential to take strong measures to address the declining birth rate, which is a major factor in population decline, as one of the high-priority issues to address," Matsuno said.
Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, as well as one of the highest life expectancies; in 2020, nearly one in 1,500 people in Japan was 100 years old or older, according to government data.
This means there is a growing aging population and shrinking labor force - presenting a demographic crisis decades in the making.
A village in central Japan registered just one newborn baby in 25 years - a birth hailed as a miracle by the town's elderly residents.
The situation is so dire that Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned lawmakers in January that the country is "on the brink of being unable to maintain social functions" due to falling birthrates.
He added that child rearing support was the government's "most important policy" and solving this problem "simply cannot wait any longer".
In April, Japan launched its new Agency for Children and Families, which focuses on measures to support parents, such as creating more day care centers, and provides services for young people, such as counseling.
Previous similar initiatives, often carried out by local authorities, have so far failed to turn things around.
Busy urban lifestyles, high living costs and long working hours leave little time for Japanese people to start families.
In 2022, Japan was ranked as one of the most expensive countries in the world to raise a child, according to research by financial institution Jefferies.
Source: CNN
