Japanese Population Falls Below 120 Million for First Time in 42 Years

Tokyo. The population of Japanese citizens in Japan has fallen below 120 million for the first time in 42 years. According to government statistics released on Wednesday, the number of Japanese citizens had fallen to 119,736,483 as of January 1, 2026.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, this number has decreased by 917,000 compared to the previous year. This is the largest annual decline since comparable statistics began to be kept in 1968.