Japan's population shrank for the 15th year in a row as the country continues to grapple with a chronically low birth rate, an annual report released Wednesday by the ministry of internal affairs shows.
The number of Japanese residents fell by 861,000 (0.7%) from a year before — marking its steepest decline ever — to 121,561,801. However, the number of foreign residents rose by 329,535 (11.01%) from last year to 3,323,374, hitting a record high since the ministry began collecting related data in 2013. It was also the second consecutive year in which the number of foreign residents had increased in the country.
Since peaking in 2009, Japan's population has been in constant decline. The number of deaths in the country was the highest since the ministry began collecting related data in 1979 while the number of newborns hit a new low.