The population of Japanese nationals fell by 861,000, or 0.70 per cent, in 2023 from a year earlier to 121,561,801, dropping for the 15th year in a row and marking the steepest decline since the survey began in 1968, government data showed on Wednesday.

As of January 1, 2024, Japan's population, including foreign residents, stood at 124,885,175, down by roughly 532,000, or 0.42 per cent, according to the demographics survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Xinhua news agency reported.

The foreign population in the country rose by 329,535, or 11.01 per cent, to 3,323,374 in the reporting year, as the end of the country's Covid-linked border control measures in April 2023 facilitated the return of international students and technical interns.

While foreign residents increased in all of the country's 47 prefectures, surpassing 3 million for the first time, only Tokyo saw a slight increase in its Japanese population, rising by 3,933, or 0.03 per cent, due to the high influx of people to the capital.

The overall population, including foreign residents, grew year-on-year in the three prefectures of Tokyo, Chiba, and Okinawa, while it declined in the 44 other prefectures.

A record low of 730,000 births in Japan, significantly exceeded by a record high 1.58 million deaths, contributed largely to the population decline, according to the Ministry.