ANKARA

Japan's already dwindling population has posted its largest annual decline on record, falling by 898,000 people as of last October compared to a year earlier, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported Monday.

This marks the 14th consecutive year of population decline in the country, according to a government estimate. The previous record drop was 861,000, reported in July 2024.

Japan’s total population, including foreign residents, stood at 120.3 million, underscoring the country's intensifying demographic crisis amid a rapidly aging society and declining birthrate.

The figures, released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, show that only Tokyo and neighboring Saitama prefecture registered population increases.

This is the largest demographic drop since 1968.

In response to the demographic crisis, the Japanese parliament passed a law in June 2024 aimed at reversing the falling birthrate. Measures under the law include expanded child allowances and enhanced parental leave benefits.

Officials have warned that the period leading up to 2030 represents a critical window to address the trend. Late marriages, financial insecurity, and limited support for working parents are commonly cited as contributing factors.

Japan's total fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime -- fell to its lowest level in 2023 since records began in 1947.