日本人口持續下降

Recently Asahi News reported the following:

総務省は１６日、２００９年１０月１日現在の人口推計を発表した。総人口は１億２７５１万人で２年連続の減少。減った人数は１８万３千人で、比較できる統計がある１９５０年以降で最大の減少だった。都道府県別に見ると、前年に比べて人口が増加したのは東京都や愛知県など７都県。このうち、増加率が上昇したのは出生数が多い沖縄県（０．４５％）だけだった。
　出生児数から死亡者数を引いた自然増減は５万９千人の減少で、３年連続のマイナス。女性も初めて自然減少に転じた。入国者数から出国者数を引いた社会増減も１２万４千人のマイナスだった。このうち外国人の減少は４万７千人。９４年以来１５年ぶりの減少で、減った人数もこれまでで最も多かった。総務省は、リーマン・ショックによる世界的な経済不況の影響があったとみている。
日本の総人口は０５年に戦後初めて前年を下回った後、０６～０７年とほぼ横ばいだった。０８年に再び減少し、０９年は減少が加速した。

On the 16th, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications announced the population estimate as of October 1, 2009. The total population was 127.51 million people, a 2 years in a row decrease. The number of people decreased was 183,000, it was the biggest decrease since comparable statistics was available after 1950. When saw it according to administrative divisions, in seven capital prefecture such as Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture the population had increased when compared with the previous year. Among these, it was only in Okinawa Prefecture that the rate of increasing rose (0.45%) and there was a large number of new births.

To subtract the death toll from the number of new born children, the natural change was a decrease of 59,000 people which was a 3 years in a row decrease. Women also faced a natural decrease for the first time. The social increase and decrease figure obtained by deducting the number of people who left the country from those who entered the country showed a minus of 124,000 people also. Among this decrease, 47,000 people were foreigners. It was a minus figure in 15 years since 1994 and the number of people that had decreased was large. The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications thought that it was affected by the worldwide economic slump caused by Lehman Shock. In 05 the total population of Japan for the first time after the War fell below the previous year, in 06 to 07 it was almost level-off. It decreased again in 08, and the decrease accelerated in 09.

It is beyond doubt that population in Japan is on a decreasing trend.