TOKYO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The total population of Japanese nationals in Japan fell below 120 million for the first time in 42 years to 119,736,483 as of Jan. 1 this year, government data showed Wednesday.

This photo taken on October 1, 2025 shows an elderly woman (2nd L) being pushed through the Tsurumibashi "shotengai", an old covered shopping street in the Nishinari ward of Osaka. (File photo: AFP)

The figure marked a decline of 917,000 people compared to the previous year, the largest drop since comparable data became available in 1968, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Of Japan's 47 prefectures, Tokyo was the only one that recorded an increase of 0.09 percent in the number of Japanese nationals, data showed.

The number of foreign residents, meanwhile, increased 354,000 to a record 4,031,159. The figure is the highest since the ministry began taking count in 2013.

Japan's total population, including foreign residents, stood at 123,767,642, down by approximately 563,000 from the previous year. Population growth was reported only in Tokyo, Chiba and Osaka prefectures.