The demographic winter in the Land of the Rising Sun has turned from a mere warning into a terrifying reality. According to the latest Basic Resident Register data published by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the population of Japanese citizens fell to 119,736,483 people as of January 1, marking the first time in 42 years, since 1984, that the local population figure has dropped below 120 million.

This decline is not a sudden surprise but the 17th consecutive year of demographic contraction, representing an annual loss of 916,744 people (0.76% less). It is the largest single-year drop recorded since these measurements began in 1968. The natural gap between births and deaths reached its most critical point in recent history, accumulating a net loss of 923,008 residents. In 2025, the number of births hit a historic low of just 670,467 babies against a staggering total of 1,593,475 deaths, with no single prefecture recording a positive birth balance.

Of the country’s 47 prefectures, only Tokyo achieved a modest local population increase with 12,540 additional residents, accounting for over 11% of the national total. In contrast, regions like Hokkaido suffered massive losses of over 58,000 people, accompanied by sharp percentage declines in prefectures such as Akita, Aomori, and Kochi. Meanwhile, the average size of Japanese households dropped to exactly two people per home, reflecting the progressive social isolation of the aging population.

On the flip side, the presence of international labor is the sole reason why the total economic collapse has not accelerated dramatically. The number of foreign residents surged by 9.62%, adding 353,696 new inhabitants to surpass the four-million mark for the first time in history, reaching a total of 4,031,159 people. This group now represents 3.26% of the country’s total population and showed increases in every prefecture, driven by a record 720,000+ people entering the country from abroad in 2025.

Combining the native population with foreign residents, Japan’s total population stood at 123,767,642. Only three prefectures maintained overall growth by adding foreigners: Tokyo, Osaka, and Chiba. With the working-age population (15-64 years) accounting for just 59.97% of the total, foreign labor in this age group reached nearly 3.5 million, becoming the undeniable backbone supporting the economy, services, and infrastructure of a nation facing its most severe demographic crisis.

Given that the local population continues to age and young people have fewer incentives to form families or have children, do you think Japan will eventually open its borders massively to keep its industries afloat, or will the country prefer to automate everything with robotics and AI before relying on foreign labor?