The population of Japanese nationals stood at 120.3 million as of October 2024, down a record 898,000 from a year earlier, a government estimate showed, amid declining birthrate.

This was the sharpest decline since 1950. The total population in Japan, including foreign residents, also fell 550,000 to 123.8 million as of October 1 last year, marking the 14th consecutive year of decline.