Japan's population falls by record 0.22% to 127.52 mil. in 2012

Rabu, 17 April 2013 01:07

(TOKYO-Kyodo) Japan's population fell by a record 0.22 percent to 127,515,000 as of Oct. 1, 2012, while people aged 65 or older surpassed the 30 million mark for the first time, government data showed Tuesday.

The figures in the survey of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications were the latest proof of Japan's aging society.

The decline of 284,000 in the total population, which also included foreign nationals, was the largest of its kind since comparable data became available in 1950.

Data showed that it was also the second year in a row that the population has fallen.

Ministry officials attributed the decline to the number of deaths exceeding births and a rise in the number of foreign residents who left Japan compared with those entering Japan because of the impact of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan and the country's economic slump.

The ministry's figures showed people aged 65 or older accounted for record high 24.1 percent of the total population.

The number of those in this age bracket rose by 1,041,000 to 30,793,000 partly because many of those born in Japan's baby-boom years of 1947-1949 have now turned 65 years old, in a telling sign that measures such as increased social welfare spending must be addressed swiftly.

Meanwhile, those aged below 14 fell to a record low of 13 percent.

The population decreased in 40 of the country's 47 prefectures. Fukushima Prefecture ranked first with a decline of 1.41 percent. The prefecture in northeastern Japan is host to the Fukushima Daiichi power plant that was crippled by the March 2011 disaster.

Of the seven prefectures that posted gains, Okinawa topped the list with a 0.56 percent increase.

The ministry survey found that it is the first time for the number of people aged 65 or older to surpass those aged below 14 in all prefectures.

Akita Prefecture had the highest percentage of those aged 65 or older at 30.7 percent, followed by Kochi Prefecture at 30.1 percent and Shimane Prefecture at 30.0 percent.