A quarter of Japan municipalities see population drop by over 10%: Kyodo

A quarter of Japan's municipalities saw their population decline by more than 10 percent between 2020 and 2025, Kyodo News analysis of census data showed Sunday.Significant depopulation often leads to a deterioration of public services, prompting some experts to highlight the urgent need to adapt to rapid change.The number of municipalities experiencing such a decline increased from 247 between 2015 and 2020 to 477, with Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, recording the sharpest decline of 34 percent after being hit by a massive earthquake in 2024.More than half of the municipalities in Iwate and Ak…READ FULL ARTICLE