On Wednesday, the Japanese government released data showing a drop in the country's population for the 12th consecutive year, due to rising deaths and the continued decline in the birth rate.
In 2022, Japan's population reached 124.49 million, showing a decrease of 556,000 compared to the previous year.
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Demographic variation includes both natural change – that is, the difference between births and deaths – and the movement of individuals into and out of the country.
Hirokazu Matsuno, chief cabinet secretary, told a news conference on Wednesday that the largest natural variation on record occurred last year, with a decline of 731,000. However, the influx of people entering Japan mitigated this drop, contributing an increase of 175,000.
Efforts are being made to reverse this situation.
The chief secretary also stated that combating the reduction of the birth rate will be treated as a top priority by the government.
The world's third-largest economy, Japan, has been committed to expanding the workforce and supporting children and their families, with the aim of boosting the population and economy.
To this end, in the fiscal 2023 budget, the government allocated 4.8 trillion yen (approximately 177.6 billion reais) to the creation of a new agency dedicated to assisting children and families.
According to specialists, the low fertility rates, also observed in other Asian countries, such as South Korea and China, are consequence of strict work cultures, rising cost of living and changing perspectives on marriage and gender equality. gender.