Japan’s population has declined by more than 100,000 for the first time since the end of the World War Two, according to new government figures.
Famously home to one of the world’s fastest ageing societies, Japan experienced a record population drop of 123,000 during 2010.
The decline is the fourth consecutive annual decline and brings the current population to 125.77 million, according to statistics released by the health ministry.
The nation’s already ageing population combined with an extreme summer heatwave were believed to have caused deaths to hit a record 1.19 million, an increase of 52,000 compared to the previous year.
The rise in deaths overshadowed a slight increase in birth rates, with 1.071 million babies born in Japan last year, marking an increase of 1,000 from 2009.
Meanwhile, marriage and divorce rates both decreased by around 2,000, with 706,000 couples tying the knot and a further 251,000 formally separating.
The figures confirm Japan’s status as a rapidly ageing nation, with a growing number of Japanese enjoying increased life expectancy while younger generations delay having a family due to financial burdens and lifestyle choices.
As Japan adapts to its increasingly elderly demographic, a growing number of companies are tapping into a so-called “silver market” with investment in services relating to the elderly.
On a production level, as the nation faces a shrinking workforce, there has also long been a focus on investment in robotics technology to balance a forecast decline in human workers.
