The number of Japanese living in the country fell by a record 898,000 year-on-year to 120.3 million as of October 2024, official data showed on Monday (April 14).

Japan’s birth rate is among the lowest in the world, meaning a shrinking workforce, shrinking consumers and fewer businesses are struggling to hire employees.

According to the Interior Ministry, this was the biggest drop recorded for Japanese people since the government began collecting comparable data in 1950.

The government is trying to provide support for young couples who want to have children but feel they cannot for economic reasons, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

“We understand that the birth rate continues to fall as many who want to raise children are unable to fulfill their desires,” he said at a regular news conference on Monday.

Japan’s population, including foreigners, fell by 550,000 to 123.8 million — the 14th consecutive annual decline, as the country has failed to effectively address its chronic population decline.

Many young people in Japan are delaying marriage and having children for a variety of reasons, from fragile job security to changing social values ​​that place less emphasis on marriage.

Japan has turned to using young foreigners as a source of labor, but the government maintains a strict immigration policy and only hires foreign workers on a temporary basis.

Hayashi said the government is trying to raise wages for young people while also providing support for raising children.

“We will promote comprehensive measures to achieve a society where everyone who wants to have children can have children and raise them with peace of mind,” he said.