Japan's population has shrunk for a third straight year. The numbers illustrate the shift to an aging society. People age 65 or over now make up a quarter of the total.
Officials with the internal affairs ministry released estimates as of last October. They put the population at about 127 million, down more than 200,000 from a year earlier.
They classify those aged 15 to 64 as being of working age. The number of people in that category decreased by more than a million to about 79 million.
The number of people aged 65 or older edged up by more than a million to 32 million. They make up a quarter of the population for the first time.
The number of people aged zero to 14 dropped by more than 150,000 to 16.4 million. They now account for 13 percent of the total, a record low.
Ministry officials say a low birthrate and the aging society suggest the population will continue to decline.
◆shrink 縮む、減る、減少する
◆straight 連続した
◆illustrate 説明する、はっきりと示す、例示する
◆edge じりじり進む
