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Japan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Biggest drop in Japanese nationals seen alongside record high in foreign residents
The total population of Japanese nationals in Japan fell to 120.65 million as of Jan. 1 this year, down 908,574 compared to the previous year, marking the 16th straight year of population decline. Meanwhile, the population of foreign residents in Japan increased by 354,089 from last year — a 10.65% increase — reaching around 3.68 million people, the internal affairs ministry said Wednesday. The figure is the highest since the ministry began taking count in 2013. Foreign residents — defined as those with residential status allowing them to stay in Japan for three months or longer — make up 2.96% of the total population, also an all-time high. The number of foreign residents plunged during the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022, but the figure has grown more than 10% year-on-year for the past three years, canceling out the pandemic's impact on the rising trend. In the past year, the number of foreign nationals who moved to Japan from abroad was a record 661,809. The natural increase in the number of foreign residents — calculated as the difference between the number of newborns and the number of people that died that year — rose by 13,665 people. In contrast, there was a stark natural decrease in the Japanese population, down by 912,162 people, demonstrating the impact of the declining birth rate combined with an increasing death rate. The data shows that 2024 was the 17th consecutive year in which there was a natural decrease in the population of Japanese nationals in the country, and the largest drop since the ministry began taking count. The combined total population of Japanese and foreign nationals was 124.3 million. Breaking the figures down by prefecture, Tokyo had the largest overall population of around 14 million, up 90,632 from the year before, followed by Kanagawa Prefecture with 9.2 million and Osaka Prefecture with 8.77 million. About 11% of Japan's population lives in Tokyo. In each of the other 45 prefectures besides Tokyo and Chiba, the population declined. The most severe drop was seen in Akita Prefecture, where there was a 1.84% decline resulting in a population of 907,593 people. This was followed by Aomori Prefecture, which saw a 1.64% decline, and Kochi Prefecture with 1.59%. The data is a clear demonstration of overconcentration in the nation's capital as many continue to relocate to Tokyo from other regions, leaving the rural areas depopulated. The smallest population was seen in Tottori Prefecture, with 534,003 people, followed by Shimane, with 642,590, and Kochi, at 664,863. Looking at the foreign population, Hokkaido had the largest increase, at 19.57% year-on-year, followed by Miyazaki Prefecture at 18.28% and Saga Prefecture at 16.39%. The foreign population was also concentrated in major areas, with about half residing in the five prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, Kanagawa and Saitama. Akita, Tottori and Kochi prefectures had the smallest foreign resident populations, hovering at around 6,000 in each. Looking at the difference in age demographics, the number of children between the ages of 0 and 14 years only made up 11.28% of the total population. Those over 65 made up around 28.89%.
Japan Times
01-08-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's jobs-to-applicant ratio falls to 1.22 in June
The seasonally adjusted effective jobs-to-applicant ratio in Japan fell 0.02 point month on month in June to 1.22, the labor ministry said Friday. It marked a second consecutive month of decreases. Applicants increased as soaring prices of food and other goods drew many into the job market to earn money to cover living expenses. The ratio indicates the number of jobs available to each applicant at public employment security offices across the country. The number of effective job seekers rose 0.4%, while that of effective job openings was down 1.2% due to a decrease of large-scale recruitment. Separately, the internal affairs ministry said that the country's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June stood at 2.5%, unchanged from May. The number of unemployed people was at about the same level as in the previous month, at 1.72 million, while that of people with jobs declined by 50,000 to 68.32 million. The unadjusted number of employed people totaled 68.73 million, the highest since comparable data became available in January 1953. The increase reflected the growth in the number of female workers.
Japan Times
01-08-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
'Furusato nozei' hometown tax donations hit record ¥1.3 trillion in 2024
The total amount of furusato nо̄zei hometown donations to local governments across Japan hit a record high for the fifth consecutive year in fiscal 2024, the internal affairs ministry said Thursday. The annual amount of such donations rose 1.1-fold from the previous year to ¥1.27 trillion ($8.44 billion). The use of the donation system is believed to have increased due to growing recognition of and increasing demand for return gifts, including daily necessities, amid inflation. Of the country's 47 prefectures, only Fukuoka, Saga and Kagoshima received lower donations than in fiscal 2023. The number of donation cases accepted by local governments was almost unchanged at 58,787,253. The city of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, received the largest amount of donations, at ¥25.66 billion, including some ¥25.4 billion contributed by a local couple for the rebuilding of a city hospital. Takarazuka was followed by the town of Shiranuka, Hokkaido, at ¥21.16 billion, and the city of Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture, at ¥18.15 billion. Under the furusato nо̄zei system, the amount of the donation minus ¥2,000 is deducted from the donor's residential and other taxes the next year. The total sum of residential tax deductions under the system in fiscal 2025 will grow 10% from the preceding year to a record high of ¥871 billion, including ¥34.33 billion in Yokohama, ¥19.83 billion in Nagoya and ¥19.22 billion in the city of Osaka. This indicates a remarkable outflow of tax revenues from urban areas. The number of people who will receive a deduction in fiscal 2025, which ends in March 2026, will also hit a record high at 10,796,698, about 1.1 times the previous year. The furusato nо̄zei system limits return gifts to local products worth less than 30% of the donation amount. In addition, it requires that the total amount of necessary costs, including commission and shipping fees paid to business operators, should be no more than 50% of the donation amount. In fiscal 2024, the total costs were ¥590.1 billion, accounting for 46.4% of the donation amount, down 2.2 percentage points from the previous year. Of the total, ¥165.6 billion was paid to portal site operators.
Japan Times
29-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Local governments not allocated state tax revenue increase for fourth year
The number of local governments able to operate their finances without tax allocations from the state thanks to their abundant tax revenues has increased for the fourth consecutive year, the internal affairs ministry said Tuesday. In fiscal 2025, such local governments totaled 85, up by two from the previous year, reflecting the growth of local tax revenues backed by robust corporate performance. On Tuesday, the ministry decided the amounts of fiscal 2025 ordinary tax allocations that will be given to respective local governments, with the aim of supplementing shortages in their financial resources. Internal affairs minister Seiichiro Murakami reported on the allocations at the day's Cabinet meeting. Of the country's 47 prefectures, Tokyo is the only one not to be given tax allocations. The remaining nonrecipients are cities, towns and villages. The town of Kikuyo in Kumamoto Prefecture, which hosts a plant operated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world's leading semiconductor contract manufacturer, became a nonrecipient for the first time. Including Kikuyo, 10 local governments switched from receiving tax allocations to not receiving them, while eight municipalities that had not been recipients became recipients. The total amount of ordinary tax allocations will increase 1.6% from the previous fiscal year to ¥17,819.8 billion, which will be distributed to 1,680 local governments.
Japan Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Voter turnout reaches 58.52% in Japan's Upper House poll
Voter turnout in Sunday's election for Japan's House of Councilors stood at 58.52% as of 2:30 a.m. on Monday, up from 52.05% in the previous Upper House election in 2022, according to a tally. The number of people who cast their ballots under the early voting system ahead of the election came in at 26,181,865, a record high for any national poll in the country, accounting for 25.12% of all eligible voters, according to the internal affairs ministry. The figure was up by 6,568,390 voters from the previous Upper House election in 2022. The increase apparently came since the election was scheduled for the second day of a three-day weekend. The number of early voters rose in all 47 prefectures, with Miyazaki logging the biggest increase, of 49.43%. Kumamoto followed, with a climb of 44.59%, and Kochi, with 43.31%.
