The number of Japanese residents as of Jan. 1 fell by 861,237, or 0.7%, from a year before, marking the steepest decline ever and dropping for the 15th year in a row, a government survey showed Wednesday.
The country's population of Japanese people totaled 121,561,801, based on the nation's resident registry, according to the internal affairs ministry survey.
The population of Tokyo rose by 3,933, or 0.03%, up for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
The number of foreign residents in the country rose by 329,535, or 11.01%, to 3,323,374, hitting a record high since the ministry started taking statistics for foreign residents in 2013.
Many international residents apparently came to Japan following the end of the country's COVID-19-linked border control measures in April 2023.