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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Maroosha Muzaffar

What is behind Japan’s unprecedented population crisis – and can it be stopped?

This photo taken on 20 October 2024 shows puppets in the village of Ichinono, one of the ‘puppet villages’ in Japan created to ease the lonesome feelings due to depopulation - (AFP via Getty Images)

Japan’s population is shrinking faster than ever, with nearly a million more deaths than births in 2024 – the steepest decline since records began in 1968.

New figures released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications last week showed that the number of Japanese nationals fell by over 900,000 last year, driven by record-low births of just 686,061 and almost 1.59 million deaths.

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