TOKYO: Reflecting the trend of a rapidly ageing society and a low birth rate, Japan’s population shrank at its fastest pace ever last year, with the working age population dropping to a new low.
Government data showed that the population fell 276,000 to 126.17 million people up to Oct 1 last year, declining for the ninth straight year and recording the largest annual drop since comparable data became available in 1950.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said the number of Japanese nationals fell 487,000 to 123.73 million people while that of foreign nationals living in Japan grew a record 211,000 to 2.44 million people.
According to Kyodo News, the number of foreign nationals grew due to the increasing numbers of foreign workers coming to the country under a visa system established last year to help ease a labour shortage.
The number of people between the ages of 15 and 64 was 75.07 million and accounted for 59.5 per cent of the total, the lowest percentage on record for the working age population.
The population in 40 of the country’s 47 prefectures declined, while that in the remaining seven prefectures, including Tokyo, grew as the trend of people moving to urban areas continued.
There were 35.89 million people aged 65 or older, accounting for 28.4 per cent of the total and breaking the previous year’s record high.
Of these, people aged 75 or older totalled 18.49 million, accounting for 14.7 per cent, also an all-time high.
The population of those aged 14 or younger was 15.21 million, accounting for 12.1 per cent of the total, a record low.