Japan faces staffing challenges for crucial census
Several factors are contributing to the personnel shortage: The pollster workforce is aging, while increased public concerns over privacy have led more residents to refuse to participate. The proliferation of condominium buildings with self-locking entrance doors has also made it physically harder for census workers to reach residents.
To address ongoing challenges and ensure the sustainability of the census, the internal affairs ministry is encouraging online participation as a more accessible and efficient alternative.
Launched in 1920, Japan's census is designed to accurately assess the state of households and residents nationwide, providing essential data for policymaking. The ministry describes it as "the most important statistical survey in Japan." Traditionally, census questionnaire sheets have been distributed in person.
As of Oct. 1 every five years, the national census gathers key information on all residents, including foreign nationals. Data collected include each individual's name, gender and place of employment. The census results serve a number of important purposes, such as redrawing single-seat constituencies for the House of Representatives, the more powerful lower chamber of parliament, and determining how tax revenues are allocated to local governments.
Private-sector companies also rely on census data to inform business decisions, such as selecting locations for new convenience stores. Preliminary results from this year's census are expected to be released in May 2026.
In the 2015 census, the government was able to recruit 94.8% of the required number of pollsters. In the 2020 census, the fulfillment rate dropped to 87.6%, a decline attributed, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pollster workforce is also aging, with those 70 or older making up a little more than 30% of all census personnel in the last survey.
A survey conducted by Shimane Prefecture in May 2024, the first of its kind in Japan, revealed that 14 out of the prefecture's 19 municipalities reported being "unable to secure" a sufficient number of pollsters.
Recruiting pollsters has become increasingly challenging for several reasons. Survey personnel often experience significant psychological stress, largely due to the challenges surrounding securing face-to-face interactions with residents. This is frequently the result of residents not being at home, either genuinely or pretending. There has also been a rise in the number of residents refusing to answer questionnaires, partly because they are unsure whether the survey staff are who they claim to be.
The situation is serious in large urban areas as well. In condominiums with self-locking entrance doors, direct face-to-face contact with residents is difficult, often forcing field workers to make repeated visits.
"In order to enter condominium buildings, pollsters must first explain (the purpose of their visits) to the building superintendents," an official from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said. "But gaining their understanding can take considerable time due to increased concerns about privacy." Moreover, "many households are dual-income families, with both adults away during the day, which further complicates efforts" to reach residents, the official added.
To help reduce the burden on pollsters, the internal affairs ministry has expanded the use of online questionnaires. For the 2025 census, residents will be able to easily access the survey website by scanning a QR code with their smartphones or other devices.
Online participants made up only 37.9% of all respondents in the 2020 census, even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry has set a goal of 50% for this year's census responses to be submitted online.
A ministry official highlighted the advantages of online participation.
"Receiving responses online can save us a great deal of trouble, such as checking for erroneous entries," the official said. "This not only improves the accuracy of survey results, but also reduces the overall burden on the census administration system, including census workers, local governments and respondents."
The ministry also plans to conduct a trial distribution of questionnaire sheets by mail to residents of condominium buildings with self-locking entrance doors in some municipalities across the Kanto region, including Tokyo.
While this approach will alleviate the burden on pollsters, it will require municipalities to take on the additional task of mailing the questionnaires. Therefore, the ministry intends to review the results of the trial and consider possible improvements for the 2030 census, officials said.
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