TOKYO, 12 April  (Xinhua) -- Japan’s population, including non-Japanese residents, fell by 595,000, or 0.48 percent, from a year earlier to 124,352,000 as of 1 October 2023, down for the 13th consecutive year, government data showed Friday.

The population of Japanese nationals dropped by 837,000, or 0.69 percent, to 121,193,000, marking the steepest fall since comparable data became available in 1950, according to a demographic survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The number of people aged 75 or above rose 713,000 to about 20.08 million, topping the 20 million mark for the first time, while those aged from zero to 14 fell 329,000 to about 14.17 million, or 11.4 percent of the total population, the lowest ever, the data showed.

Meanwhile, the foreign national population gained by 243,000 to about 3.16 million. Foreign workers and students who had been in Japan for three months or longer were counted in the overall population figure, according to the ministry.

Among the country’s 47 prefectures, only Tokyo saw a rise in population, the second straight year of increase for the Japanese capital.