Japan’s population fell to 120.3 million as of October 2024, official data showed on Monday, marking a record fall of 898,000 people from the previous year.
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Japan’s birth rate is among the lowest in the world, a trend which has meant having a shrinking workforce, fewer consumers and businesses fighting to recruit workers.
It was the largest fall on record since the government began collecting comparable data in 1950, according to the internal affairs ministry.
The government has been trying to offer help to young families who wish to have children but feel they cannot, because of economic reasons, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
“We understand that the declining birth rate is continuing because many people who wish to raise children are not able to fulfil their wishes,” he said during a regular media briefing on Monday.
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Japan’s population including foreign nationals also fell by 550,000 people to 123.8 million – the 14th straight annual fall, as the country has failed to effectively address its chronic population decline.