Everyone seems to know that the japanese population will start to decline, but not many know its actually already beginning to decline;

Japan’s estimated population decreased for the second year in a row, declining by a record 183,000, or 0.14 percent, from a year earlier to 127,510,000 as of Oct. 1, 2009, government data showed Friday.

It was the third year-on-year decline in Japan’s population since 1950 when comparable data became available, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said in a report. Japan’s population previously declined twice — in 2005 by 19,000, or 0.01 percent, and in 2008 by 79,000, or 0.06 percent.

The number of women stood at 65,380,000, a decrease of 61,000 or 0.09 percent, marking the first natural decline with 5,000 more deaths than births.

The male population stood at 62,130,000, down 121,000 or 0.20 percent, marking the fifth straight annual decline with 54,000 more deaths than births.

Japan’s population has entered a stage of full-scale decline as both men and women recorded natural decreases, ministry officials said.

Although the population has declined this year the number of people 65 and over has increased by 789,000, making it 29,005,000 people or 22.7 percent of the population.

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