Reuters · Japan · Bangkok Post
How Japan lost 3 million people in five years
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 outlet. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
TOKYO — Japan’s population fell by more than 3 million over the past five years, according to official statistics released Friday, a drop that underscores the depths of the country’s accelerating demographic crisis.
Key facts
- The population stood at 123 million last year, according to preliminary census results, down from 126.1 million in 2020
- TOKYO — Japan’s population fell by more than 3 million over the past five years, according to official statistics released Friday, a drop that underscores the depths of the country’s accelerating demographic crisis.
- Among the hardest-hit areas were the northern prefectures of Akita and Aomori, where the population shrank by 8% from 2020 to 2025
- The area now accounts for roughly 30% of Japan’s total population.
- (Tokyo’s population rose more than 1% to 14.2 million last year.) The growth has been fuelled in large part by an influx of students and young workers looking for jobs and educational opportunities.
- Japan’s population peaked in 2008 at 128 million, and it is projected to fall to 87 million by 2070
Summary
The population stood at 123 million last year, according to preliminary census results, down from 126.1 million in 2020. It is the biggest decrease since the government began collecting census data in 1920.
Japan’s population peaked in 2008 at 128 million, and it is projected to fall to 87 million by 2070. The country is now roughly the same size it was in 1989.