Japan’s population falls below 120 million for first time in 42 years

Japan, like many other countries, is struggling with low birth rates and an ageing population.

As of Jan. 1 this year, the number of Japanese residents in the country was 119,736,483, a decrease of 0.76 percent from last year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

The population of Japan has been declining for 17 consecutive years, according to statistics that began being kept in 1968.