Japan’s total population, including foreign residents, stood at 122.9 million as of October 1, 2025, marking a decline of approximately 3.17 million people, or 2.5%, compared to five years earlier, according to census data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This marks the third consecutive population decrease in the five-year censuses conducted since 1920.

The number of Japanese nationals decreased by 3.5% to 119.1 million, accelerating from the 1.4% drop recorded in the previous 2020 census. Conversely, the foreign resident population increased significantly, rising 39.8% to reach a record 3.84 million individuals. Among foreign nationals, Chinese accounted for the largest share at 24%, followed by Vietnamese at 15.9%, and South and North Koreans at 10.4%. This represents a shift from the prior census, where Koreans made up 15.8% and exceeded the 13.9% proportion of Vietnamese residents.

The census showed a gender distribution of approximately 59.7 million men and 63.2 million women. The aging population continued to grow, with those aged 65 and older rising from 28.5% to 29.4% of the total population.

At the regional level, Tokyo was the only prefecture to experience population growth, though its increase was smaller than that recorded in the previous census. Several prefectures, including Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Shiga, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, shifted from population growth in 2020 to decline in 2025. The remaining 39 prefectures saw larger population decreases compared to the previous survey period.

Household structures also continued to change. The total number of households was 57.3 million, with the average household size shrinking to 2.1 members from 2.21 in the prior census. Among prefectures, Yamagata had the largest average household size at 2.41 members, while Tokyo recorded the smallest, at 1.85 members.