Number of Japanese Citizens Drops Below 120 Million
While the number of Japanese citizens in Japan fell below 120 million, the number of foreign residents rose above 4 million for the first time as of January 1, 2026.
Japan's population dipped below 120 million as of January 1, 2026, according to a demographic survey. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications noted a 0.45% decrease, bringing the total to 123,767,642. The number of Japanese citizens fell to 119,736,483, a 0.76% decrease compared to the previous year. This marks 17 consecutive years of decline since 2009.
Tokyo was the only prefecture to experience a rise in its Japanese population, up by 12,540 (0.09%). The steepest decreases in percentage were seen in Akita, Aomori, Kōchi, Yamagata, and Iwate, primarily in the northern Tōhoku region. Births among Japanese citizens numbered 670,476 in 2025, marking the tenth annual decline. The natural population decline, calculated by the difference between births and deaths, rose to 923,008, its highest level in 18 years.
Meanwhile, foreign resident population surged by 353,696 (9.62%) to reach 4,031,159, the highest since 2013. Tokyo had the highest population, including foreign residents, at 14,077,553, followed by Kanagawa and Osaka. The three major metropolitan areas had a combined population of 65,979,272, accounting for 53.3% of the total. Foreign residents accounted for 68.7% of this combined population.
Written by urgent.news from Nippon.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
