On June 1, 2026, South Korean media outlet Asia Economic Daily reported that Japan's population decline is accelerating, with approximately 3.1 million fewer people over the past five years.

According to the article, based on the preliminary results of the 2025 national census announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's total population as of last October was 123,049,524. This is a decrease of approximately 3.09 million people (2.5%) from the 2020 census, marking the largest decline since the survey began in 1920. While the decline rate from 2015 to 2020 was 0.7%, this time it reached 2.5%, expanding by approximately three times in just five years. From the peak population of approximately 128.05 million in 2010, it is calculated that the population has decreased by approximately 5 million over 15 years.

The article mentioned that 'this is the first time that the population has decreased by over 3 million people in five years since the Pacific War, during which approximately 3 million people are said to have died.' It analyzed, stating that 'whereas the population decline due to war was a temporary external factor, the current structural population decline due to a declining birthrate and aging population is more serious,' and further stated that 'in Japan, the so-called baby boomers were born after the war, leading to a population increase, but currently there are no factors seen to push up the birthrate, and population decline is becoming fixed.'

In this survey, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over reached 29.4%, meaning almost one in three people is elderly. On the other hand, those aged 14 and under remained at 11.2%. The number of deaths continues to significantly exceed the number of births, and the population decline is expected to accelerate further in the future.

While the total population is decreasing, the number of households recorded a new high of 57.12 million households. The main reason is the increase in single-person households, and the average number of people per household reached 2.15, the lowest since 1970.

The article pointed out that the Japanese government has already shifted its policy focus from 'population growth' to 'managing population decline.' The Population Strategy Council, established in 2024, has set a goal of maintaining the population at approximately 80 million by 2100, and stated that it places more emphasis on mitigating rapid decline and maintaining social systems rather than increasing the population again.

It also concluded by stating that 'while South Korea's total population is currently increasing, its birthrate is lower than Japan's,' and that the population structure changes occurring in Japan could be replicated in South Korea with a time lag.

Regarding this, Korean netizens commented with statements such as, 'A decrease of 3.1 million in 5 years. It's astounding when you look at the numbers again,' 'This is not the time to be surprised by Japan,' 'Since South Korea's birthrate is lower, things will likely become even tougher than in Japan,' 'If any country is going to vanish, South Korea will be faster,' and 'I think it's wise to focus on 'how to maintain the social system' rather than trying to increase the population again.'

Furthermore, comments such as, 'More than the population decline itself, the continuous decrease in the younger generation is the most serious issue,' 'If we truly want to address the declining birthrate, we should review not just simple measures like childbirth support, but also aspects such as working styles and wages. People cannot have children if they have neither time nor money,' 'Instead of only focusing on measures against the declining birthrate, we should also prepare for an aging society by improving pension and long-term care systems,' 'A redesign of society that accepts that things like nursing care and child-rearing cannot function as they used to is necessary,' and 'The era of compensating for labor shortages with AI and automation will increasingly advance,' were also seen. (Translation/Editing: Higuchi)