Japan’s Population Declines By 800,000 With Drop In Every Prefecture, PM Vows To Tackle Situation

The overall population in Japan fell to 125.41 million people, a decrease of about 511,000.

The overall population in Japan fell to 125.41 million people, a decrease of about 511,000.

The population of Japanese nationals fell by about 800,000 people in 2022, according to data showing the number of people with resident registrations as of Jan. 1, 2023 that was released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. For the first time, the number of Japanese residents fell in all 47 prefectures, the data showed. The overall population in Japan fell to 125.41 million people, a decrease of about 511,000. The prime minister of Japan Fumio Kishida termed the trend a crisis and vowed to tackle the situation.

In January, Kishida said that addressing the birthrate was “now or never” and said, “Our nation is on the cusp of whether it can maintain its societal functions,” as quoted by The Guardian.  The PM has made reversing the country’s sliding birth rate a top priority and his government, despite high levels of debt, plans to earmark spending of 3.5 trillion yen ($24.84 billion) a year on child care and other measures to support parents.

According to the data released by the Internal Affairs Ministry of Japan, deaths have hit a record high of more than 1.56 million whereas there were only 7,71,000 births in the country in 2022, The Guardian reported.

The aging population of Japan is already having an impact on every aspect of society. More than half of all municipalities are designated as depopulated districts, schools have been shut and more than 1.2 million small business owners have aged about 70.

The underworld population of Japan has also been hit by the aging factor as the majority of yakuza are over 50 and there are now more gangsters in their 70s than in their 20s, as reported by The Guardian.

The new Children and Families Agency was launched in April, bringing all related issues, including the birthrate, under one entity.

The government has planned to double the spending on childcare and allowances to 4% of GDP. Around 300 small towns have seen a massive boost in births via a combination of generous payouts and policies to create more child-friendly environments, as reported by The Guardian.

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