Japan's population declines

December 27, 2005

Japan's population declined by 19,000 in 2005 according to the government census, marking the first time it has shrunk since 1899, when it began keeping records. The decline is caused by the low birth rate of 1.29 children per woman. The declining birth rate has been a concern for the island nation for the last few decades as it supports a larger elderly population; 20% of Japan's population is 65 or older. As of October 1, the population was recorded at 127,757,000.