Japan faces municipal depopulation
A quarter of Japan’s municipalities experienced a population decline of more than 10 percent between 2020 and 2025, Qazinform News Agency reports citing a Kyodo News analysis of census data.
477 municipalities saw drops of over 10%, up from 247 in the previous five-year period.
Suzu in Ishikawa Prefecture recorded a 34% fall, largely due to the 2024 earthquake.
More than half of municipalities in Iwate, Akita, and Kochi prefectures reported steep declines.
Declines exceeding 20% were noted in three cities, one town, and two villages, including Tonaki (Okinawa, -32.4%) and Wajima (Ishikawa, -26.6%).
To note, some areas saw population increases, including towns in Fukushima Prefecture recovering after the 2011 nuclear crisis.
Urban wards in Osaka and Nagoya grew by more than 15%.
Shimukappu village (Hokkaido) rose 13.9%, driven by inbound tourism.
A Chuo University professor, Kohei Wada, said Japan must urgently build a society that adapts to population decline.
A visiting professor of economic policy at Taisho University, Takao Komine, said beyond tackling the low birthrate, strategies of “smart shrinkage”—such as consolidating infrastructure and revising spending—are essential to sustain well-being.
As earlier reported, nearly 4 in 10 women in Japan struggle with infertility.
