Japan’s population has fallen for the sixth consecutive year, but the pace of decline was mitigated by a rise in the number of foreign residents, government data showed Friday.
Japan’s population has fallen for the sixth consecutive year, but the pace of decline was mitigated by a rise in the number of foreign residents, government data showed Friday.
Japan’s population stood at 126.93 million as of Oct 1, 2016, down 162, 000 from a year earlier, with the number of Japanese residents declining by a record 299, 000 to 125.02 million. In contrast, the number of foreign residents increased by a record 136, 000, the data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed.
The data underscored that Japan is continuing on the path toward a « super-aging society » as a result of sub-replacement fertility rates and high life expectancy, while the sustainability of pension and other social security services remains unclear.
