The Japanese government revealed the latest census results showing a record population decline of over 3.1 million within five years, reflecting ongoing issues of an aging society and persistently low birth rates, while more than 30% of the population is concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released preliminary results of the 2025 census, reporting that the total population of Japan, including foreign residents, decreased to 123,049,524 people as of 1 October last year.
These figures indicate that Japan's population fell by 2.5%, a loss of more than 3.1 million people compared to the previous census in 2020. This marks the third consecutive decline and represents the steepest drop since census records began in 1920, over a century ago. The decrease this time is more than three times higher than the decline seen from 2015 to 2020.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the main reasons for this sharp population decline are a severe aging society and an increasing "natural decrease," where the number of deaths significantly exceeds the number of births each year.
Official data show that in 2025, Japan experienced its tenth consecutive year of declining births, with only 705,809 newborns recorded.
Minoru Kihara, spokesperson for the Japanese government, told reporters, "This data confirms once again that our country's population decline is entering a critical and increasingly severe phase."
Another notable point from the survey is that 30.1% of Japan's population has concentrated in the Tokyo metropolitan area and its surrounding regions, marking the first time this proportion has exceeded 30%. This underscores regional issues, as rural populations sharply decline, threatening local communities' survival and increasing pressure on the government to implement measures to support economies in remote areas.
According to the United Nations' 2025 world population estimates, Japan currently ranks as the 12th most populous country globally, comprising 1.5% of the world's population. Among the 20 most populous countries, only Japan, China, Russia, and Thailand are experiencing population declines between 2020 and 2025, with Japan facing the "fastest and most severe" decrease in this group.
Despite efforts over recent years by both central and local governments to encourage younger generations to marry and have children—including developing government matchmaking apps, increasing childcare subsidies, and providing financial support during maternity leave—these measures have had limited success.
While many see "opening up to foreign labor and immigration" as a possible solution to Japan's population shortage—Japan being the world's fourth-largest economy—current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pursuing stricter policies to screen and control the influx of foreigners. This approach further complicates Japan's demographic challenges moving forward.