Japan's population has fallen below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, as the country continues to grapple with a low birth rate and a rapidly ageing society.
As of Jan 1, the number of Japanese residents stood at 119.74 million, down 0.76 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The population of Japanese residents has declined for 17 consecutive years since peaking in 2009.
The Japan Times reported that the number of foreign residents rose by 353,696, or 9.62 percent, to a record 4.03 million.
The number of people moving to Japan from overseas reached a record 720,988 in 2025.
Hokkaido posted the fastest growth rate at 14.89 percent, ahead of Okinawa at 14.36 percent and Oita at 13.9 percent.
Among cities, Osaka registered the largest increase in foreign residents, adding 25,056 people.
Among towns and villages, Kutchan in Hokkaido recorded the biggest rise, driven mainly by foreign workers employed at ski resorts popular with overseas tourists.
Tokyo also had the highest share of foreign residents among Japan's prefectures at 5.57 percent, followed by Aichi at 4.66 percent and Gunma at 4.62 percent.
Akita recorded the lowest share at 0.7 percent.
Foreign residents aged 25 to 29 made up the largest age group, accounting for 17.7 percent of the total.
Those aged 20 to 24 ranked second at 16.54 percent, followed by people aged 30 to 34 at 13.29 percent.
According to the World Bank, Japan has the world's second-oldest population after Monaco, with a median age of 49.9 years.
Government data released in June showed Japan's fertility rate fell for a 10th consecutive year to a record low of 1.14 in 2025.
The number of babies born dropped by nearly 15,000 to just over 670,000, the lowest since records began in 1899.
The demographic decline has fuelled labour shortages, increased social security costs and narrowed the country's tax base.
The government has sought to encourage marriage through TOKYO Enmusubi, an artificial intelligence-powered dating app launched in September 2024.
As of Jun 30, the app had 16,000 registered users, selected from about 36,000 applicants, and had helped form 760 couples in what authorities described as serious relationships.
Government figures also showed 265 couples had married through the initiative.