Officially, the Japanese became 908,574 fewer, a decline of 0.75 percent. Japan's population now amounts to just over 120 million, according to the statistics.
Low birth rates are a problem in many countries, but particularly acute in Japan where the phenomenon has been going on for years. The latest decline is described as the largest since statistics began in 1968. The population has now decreased 16 years in a row, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has promised family-friendly measures to reverse the trend, including flexible working hours and free childcare.
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