Japan's Population Falls Below 120 Million for First Time in 42 Years

The demographic crisis in Japan is deepening further. For the first time in the last 42 years, the number of country citizens has dropped below the 120 million threshold. This was reported, citing government data, Mainichi publication.

According to official data, as of January 1, 2026, the number of country citizens was 119,736,483. This is 917,000 less compared to the previous year. Experts evaluate this indicator as the largest annual decline observed since 1968.

At the same time, the number of foreign residents living in Japan continues to grow. Their number increased by 354,000 within a year, reaching a record level of 4,031,159 people. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has been keeping this statistics since 2013.

Despite the government implementing various measures to increase the birth rate, the number of births in the country continues to decline. During the current reporting period, about 670,000 babies were born, while the number of deaths reached 1,590,000. This indicates a further deterioration of the demographic balance.

Among Japan's 47 prefectures, only the capital Tokyo recorded population growth. Here, the number of citizens increased by 0.09 percent.

Due to labor shortages in the job market, Japan is gradually opening wider paths to the policy of attracting foreign workers. As a result, the number of foreign residents recorded growth for the fourth consecutive year. 86.17 percent of them account for the working-age population.

Hokkaido, Okinawa, and Oita prefectures were noted as the regions with the fastest growing foreign population.

Overall, including foreign residents, Japan's total population amounted to 123,767,642 people. This is also approximately 563,000 people fewer compared to last year. Population growth was observed only in Tokyo, Chiba, and Osaka prefectures.