Japan population drops 0.43% in 2022 as Kishida vows to stem decline

Prime minister expected to focus on child policies when Diet opens next week

Japan registered fewer than 800,000 births in 2022, with the figure dropping below that threshold eight years earlier than expected. (Photo by Wataru Ito)

KENTARO IWAMOTO, Nikkei staff writer

January 20, 2023 15:18 JST

TOKYO -- Japan's total population shrank by 0.43% or about 538,000 in 2022, official estimates show, again highlighting the demographic challenge facing the world's third-largest economy.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to tackle the population issue this year, with policies for increasing births expected to top the agenda when the Diet convenes next week.