TOKYO, July 13 (Xinhua) -- More than a quarter of Japan's municipalities experienced population declines of over 10 percent between 2020 and 2025, Kyodo News reported Sunday.
The number of municipalities posting such declines nearly doubled, rising from 247 during the 2015-2020 period to 477 over the latest five-year span. Suzu City in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa registered the steepest drop, with its population shrinking by 34 percent in the wake of a massive earthquake that struck the area in 2024.
More than half of the municipalities in the northeastern prefectures of Iwate and Akita, as well as Kochi Prefecture in western Japan, recorded population declines exceeding 10 percent.
The findings are based on Kyodo News' analysis of preliminary 2025 census figures as of Oct. 1 against the 2020 census results, covering population changes in 1,892 municipalities, including 171 administrative districts in 20 government-designated major cities.
Experts warn that severe depopulation often erodes public services, stressing the urgent need for policies that address Japan's accelerating demographic shift.
Although 243 municipalities reported population growth, many others continue to experience declines that are unlikely to be reversed through higher birth rates alone. Enditem
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