Japan’s population in 2023 fell by 861,237 from the year before, making it the 15th consecutive year of decline.

The 0.7 percent fall made it the largest drop since record keeping began in 1968, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The number of Japanese nationals stood at 121,561,801 as of January 1.

The number of foreign nationals in the country rose by 11.01 percent to 3,323,374, reaching a record high.