Japan's population declines for 14th consecutive year

Tokyo(The Uttam Hindu): Japan's total population, including foreign residents, amounted to 123.802 million as of October 1, 2024, data from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed Monday. The data, down by 550,000 from the previous year, marked the 14th straight year of population decline.

Among Japan's 47 prefectures, 45 experienced population declines, with only Tokyo and Saitama showing increases. The number of people aged 75 and over rose by 700,000 to 20.777 million, now accounting for around 17 per cent of the total population. When excluding foreign residents, the Japanese population stood at 120.296 million, a decrease of 898,000 from a year earlier, the largest drop ever recorded, the data showed.

Reflecting the population shrinkage, labour shortages are becoming more severe in the country, Xinhua news agency reported. The working-age population (ages 15-64) dropped by 224,000 to 73.728 million, making up 59.6 per cent of the total population, remaining below 60 per cent since 2018. In contrast, the number of foreign residents has surged. Their population grew by over 350,000 year-on-year to a record 3.506 million, the data showed. Meanwhile, the National Police Agency of Japan released new data last week, revealing that a total of 76,020 people died alone in their homes in Japan in 2024, with 76.4 per cent aged 65 or older.

By age group, the highest number of solitary home deaths occurred among those aged 85 and older (14,658), followed by those aged 75-79 (12,567), and those aged 70-74 (11,600). Among elderly individuals found dead at home, 39.2 per cent were discovered within a day of death. However, 4,538 cases (7.8 per cent) involved bodies that went undiscovered for over a month. Police officials noted that many such cases were identified after reports of uncollected mail or when neighbours or relatives, lacking regular contact, raised concerns. By region, Tokyo recorded the highest number of solitary home deaths (7,699), followed by Osaka (5,329), Kanagawa (3,659), and Aichi (3,411).

This marks the first time such data has been compiled in Japan. The government plans to use it as a basis for policy development to address loneliness and social isolation. Japan has been grappling with the issue of 'kodokushi' or "lonely death" for decades. The term refers to people, often elderly, who die alone and go unnoticed for extended periods. The phenomenon first gained public attention in the 1980s and has since become a growing concern amid Japan's rapidly aging population, shrinking household sizes, and weakening social ties.