Japan calls population decline a silent national crisis
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wants to draw up a new plan for a country ageing and shrinking faster.
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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has again labelled population decline a national crisis. This comes as official figures show that the population fell by 2.5 per cent between 2020 and 2025.
In a policy speech to Japan’s parliament, Takaichi described falling birth rates and population size as a silent emergency undermining the country’s vitality. According to reports on the speech, her government wants to draw up a comprehensive plan to tackle population decline.
Japan’s statistics agency counted approximately 123.05 million residents on 1 October 2025. That was 3.097 million fewer than in the 2020 census, a decline of 2.5 per cent. The agency says the pace of decline has accelerated. A monthly estimate put the population at approximately 122.65 million in September 2026.
The development affects more than the national population total. Fewer young people ultimately means fewer people in the labour market, while the proportion of older people grows. This increases pressure on pensions, healthcare, local services and infrastructure funding in regions losing residents.
Japan has been trying to reverse the trend for some time through childcare, financial support for families and measures to improve the combination of work and care. Takaichi again linked the new approach to family policy and better employment conditions for childcare workers. So far, such measures have not stopped the decline.
The government also faces a political choice over migration. Foreign workers can help address labour shortages, but immigration remains socially and politically sensitive in Japan. A population plan that seeks only to increase births therefore has a different meaning from one that also includes the long-term settlement of foreign workers and their families.
For Dutch readers, Japan offers a preview of an issue affecting many wealthy countries: how do you keep services, regions and the economy functioning as the population ages and shrinks? Japan is ahead of others in this respect, but its solutions cannot easily be copied by other countries. Demographic change is slow; measures only have an effect after years.
The phrase national crisis comes from the Japanese government. The statistics show the decline, but do not prove which individual policy measure could reverse it. Nor has it been established that a single cause explains the development. The debate is therefore about both adapting to a smaller population and attempts to raise birth rates again.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Japan lost approximately 2.5 per cent of its population between 2020 and 2025.
- The government wants to develop a new policy to tackle population decline.
- Japan is experiencing an ageing population and a shrinking workforce.
Left
Arguments The state should invest heavily in childcare, affordable housing, income security and better employment conditions. This would give people more scope to have children without placing the main burden on women and families.
Values Social equality, public services and the distribution of caring responsibilities.
Consequences Higher public spending could support families, but would not quickly resolve demographic trends.
Centre
Arguments Japan must learn to cope with decline while making targeted investments in families, labour productivity and regional services. Controlled labour migration could also form part of a workable mix.
Values Adaptation, institutional continuity and feasibility.
Consequences A combination of measures could spread the pressure, but would require long-term political consistency.
Right
Arguments The government should support families without directing private life. Society can adapt through higher productivity, less bureaucracy and a selective migration policy that safeguards national cohesion.
Values Individual responsibility, national control and economic efficiency.
Consequences A smaller role for government could limit costs, but could distribute the consequences for healthcare, regions and families unevenly.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The key figures were checked directly with Japan’s statistics agency. The political characterisations and plans are presented as statements by the government, without presenting predictions as facts.
- confirmed Japan’s population fell by 2.5 per cent between 2020 and 2025. — Preliminary results from the 2025 census. source
- confirmed Japan had approximately 123.05 million residents on 1 October 2025. — Mentioned by Japan’s Statistics Bureau. source
- confirmed The Japanese government wants to draw up a comprehensive population plan. — Reported following the policy speech of 5 October 2026. source
- uncertain The announced measures will stop population decline. — The government has announced plans, but their effect cannot yet be established. source
Editor's note
The population figures come from Japan’s statistics agency. The characterisation as a crisis and the announced policy direction are positions expressed by Prime Minister Takaichi; the effects of future measures are uncertain.Sources
- Policy Speech by Prime Minister Takaichi to the 221st Session of the Diet — Prime Minister's Office of Japan
- Preliminary Counts of the 2025 Population Census — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- Japan PM calls China important neighbour, pledges stable relationship — The New Indian Express