JAKARTA - As many as half of the 20 major cities in Japan, each with a population of more than 700,000, have experienced a decrease in population compared to 10 years ago.
The decline in the population was influenced by low birth rates, according to an analysis of Kyodo News released on Sunday, February 1, reported by Antara.
Projections to 2050 show the number of cities that will experience population shrinkage is expected to increase to 18 cities, although previously these cities managed to attract young people from the surrounding area.
Kitakyushu, located in the southwestern region of Japan, recorded the sharpest decline among cities with ordinance-designated city status, which are cities that have authority equivalent to prefectures in a number of fields, including social welfare and public health. Kitakyushu's population fell 6.5 percent from around 970 thousand to 910 thousand people.
The shrinking population has prompted policymakers to review the special status city system, which was initially based on the assumption of population growth.
This system was introduced in 1956 with the assumption of a certain level of population growth. Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe became the first cities to obtain this status in the same year.
Over time, Shizuoka and six other cities followed after the government lowered the minimum population requirement from one million to 700 thousand people to obtain the status.
Based on a comparison of basic population registration data as of January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2025, Kitakyushu was followed by Shizuoka, which recorded a 6.0 percent decline, from around 710 thousand to 670 thousand people.
On the other hand, data analysis shows that Fukuoka recorded the highest population increase, namely 8.2 percent to around 1.60 million people. Saitama City followed with an increase of 7.1 percent to around 1.35 million people, while Kawasaki increased 6.2 percent to around 1.53 million people.
Based on data from 2025 and projections for 2050 from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, only Fukuoka and Kawasaki are expected to experience no decline in population by 2050.
A number of observers assess that these special status cities have not received adequate allocation of financial resources compared to the complex tasks.
This prompted some cross-party parliamentarians to propose that the cities be converted into special cities that stand independently from the prefectural government.
Meanwhile, of the 62 core cities with a population of at least 200 thousand people, as many as 52 cities or about 84 percent also faced a decrease in population compared to a decade ago, according to the results of the analysis.
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