Japan’s population falls by 500,000
Japan’s total population last year declined for the 15th straight year, dropping by more than 500,000 people as the population ages and births remain low.
Births in Japan hit a record low of 730,000 last year. The 1.58 million deaths last year were also a record high.
Japan’s population was 124.9 million as of Jan. 1, data released on Wednesday by the Japanese
Ministry of Internal Affairs showed.
There was an 11 percent increase in foreign residents, helping the population of the group surpass 3 million for the first time, the data showed.
They now make up nearly 3 percent of the total population and are mostly of working age from 15 to 64.
Surveys show that younger Japanese are increasingly reluctant to marry or have children, discouraged by bleak job prospects, the high cost of living — which rises at a faster pace than salaries — and a corporate culture that burdens women, including working mothers.
The government earmarked ¥5.3 trillion (US$34.8 billion) as part of the budget this year to fund incentives for young couples to have more children, such as increasing subsidies for childcare and education, and is expected to spend ¥3.6 trillion annually over the next three years.
Experts say the measures are largely meant for married couples who plan to have or who already have children, and do not address the growing number of young people reluctant to get married.
Japan’s population is projected to fall by about 30 percent to 87 million by 2070, when four out of every 10 people would be 65 or older.