According to preliminary figures from the 2025 national census, Japan's total population has fallen to 123.5 million. Compared to the 2020 census, Japan's population has decreased by about 3.09 million. 

The government has been conducting censuses in Japan since 1920. Since then, Japan's population reached its highest point in 2010, at around 128 million. The population decreased for the first time in 2015. Since then, Japan's population has decreased in three consecutive censuses. 

According to the latest figures, Japan's population has decreased by 2.5 percent, which is the sharpest decline in history. Previously, the population decreased by only 0.7 percent in the 2020 census.

The nationwide census, which is conducted every five years, collects information on the presence, age, gender and employment status of all people living in Japan, including foreign residents.

The latest figures released on Friday show Japan as the 12th most populous country in the world, up from 11th in the 2020 census. 

Among the top 20 countries in terms of population, Russia, China and Thailand also saw their populations decline in 2025 compared to 2020. But the biggest demographic decline was seen in Japan. 

Of Japan's 47  prefectures, all but Tokyo and Okinawa saw their populations decline. Tokyo grew by 199,000 and Okinawa by 1,000.  As a result, Tokyo remains the country's most populous prefecture with 14.24 million residents. It accounts for 11.6 percent of the country's total population. 

Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba form the  The population of the Greater Tokyo Area has increased moderately to a total of 37 million. However, despite the overall population increase in the Greater Tokyo Area, the population of its three prefectures, excluding Tokyo, has decreased. Whereas in 2020, all four prefectures in the Greater Tokyo Area saw population growth.

The Greater Tokyo Area is now home to about 30 percent of Japan's total population. A vibrant center of business, politics, and culture, the area is one of the most populous cities in the world.

The largest population decline was in Hokkaido Prefecture.  The population here has decreased by 239,000. This is followed by Shizuoka and Hyogo Prefectures, which have decreased by 164,000 and 141,000 respectively. Even prefectures such as Aichi, Shiga, and Fukuoka, which had increased in the 2020 census, have seen their populations decrease in 2025.

The total number of households in the country has increased by 2.3 percent compared to the previous census, to 57.12 million. However, the average number of people per household has fallen from 3.45 in 1970 to 2.15 in 2025. This indicates that the number of people living alone in Japan is increasing. The number of people living alone is highest in Tokyo, where the number of people per household is only 1.88.

The northern prefectures of Akita and Aomori have seen the biggest declines in percentage terms. Their populations have fallen by about 8 percent between 2020 and 2025. These areas are home to some of Japan's oldest residents, while the lack of wage growth and  extreme cold are causing young people to gradually migrate.

Japanese villages are becoming deserted as young people head to other cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in search of work. According to the 2023 Housing Survey, 13.8 percent of homes in the country (nearly 9 million) were empty.  Officials said a shrinking population, a growing elderly population and a wave of migration to cities were among the factors. 

In some rural areas, schools are being converted into senior care centres and community centres. Government offices and hospitals are being scaled back and the size and scope of services are being cut, and train services are being shut down in rural areas. 

Opening Japan up more to foreigners could help offset the population decline. But the government has long been wary of immigration. Policymakers have warned that Japan, one of the world's largest economies, will shrink as its population shrinks and its international and regional influence shrink. Japan's economic growth has been sluggish in recent years. 

Sane Takaichi of the Liberal Democratic Party has been prime minister since October. Under her leadership, the party won two-thirds of the seats in the lower house of parliament in January. Takaichi campaigned on the slogan "Japan First." She has adopted policies such as cracking down on immigration and preserving Japan's traditional values. 

“Japan is now at a point where it seems impossible to reverse this decline in the short or medium term,” said James Remo, a sociology professor at Princeton University who studies Japan's demographics. “This is not possible without a large influx of foreign immigrants.”

Japan's crisis risks deepening in the coming decades. It will become increasingly difficult to find staff to work in schools, hospitals, police stations and train stations. In addition, the country may not have enough young people to pay the necessary taxes to pay for social security and pensions for retired senior citizens.

According to Professor Remo, the Japanese government's efforts to increase the fertility rate have not really made much of a difference. He said that Japan's situation could be a lesson for governments in other countries.