Steady-State Economy

May 27, 2006

 

First-Ever Decline Recorded in Japanese Population in 2005

Keywords: Government Steady-State Economy 

Japan's overall population was 127.76 million as of October 1, 2005, according to a preliminary report by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on the results of the most recent national census. The figure exceeded that of the previous census in 2000 by 830,000, but is about 20,000 less than the estimated population as of October 1, 2004.

Also, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's estimates for the year 2005, the number of Japanese born in Japan that year totaled 1,067,000, a decrease of 44,000 from the preceding year. On the other hand, deaths numbered 1,077,000, an increase of 48,000. The difference between births and deaths implies a natural decrease of 10,000.

Even if statistics among Japanese abroad and foreigners residing in Japan were counted, the 2005 total of births was still 4,361 fewer than that of deaths, according to the preliminary report of the statistics of December 2005. Such a decrease would be the first since population counting began in 1899, not counting three years during and after World War II for which there is no data.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research had predicted in January 2002 that Japan's population would start to fall after peaking at 127.74 million in 2006. The results above indicate that the peak arrived a year earlier than predicted.

http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/e_cen_en.htm

Posted: 2006/05/27 01:27:11 PM
Japanese version

 

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