The total population of Japanese nationals in Japan fell below 120 million for the first time in 42 years to 119,736,483 as of Jan 1 this year, government data showed Wednesday.
The figure marked a decline of 917,000 people compared to the previous year, the largest drop since comparable data became available in 1968, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Of Japan's 47 prefectures, Tokyo was the only one that recorded an increase of 0.09 percent in the number of Japanese nationals, data showed.
The number of foreign residents, meanwhile, increased 354,000 to a record 4,031,159. The figure is the highest since the ministry began taking count in 2013.
Japan's total population, including foreign residents, stood at 123,767,642, down by approximately 563,000 from the previous year. Population growth was reported only in Tokyo, Chiba and Osaka prefectures.
Population of Japanese nationals falls below 120 mln for 1st time in 42 years
About 2 million elderly people with disabilities in China have received government subsidies to purchase caregiving services so far this year, the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced Thursday at a press conference.
The subsidies are available to older individuals who have been assessed as having moderate or more severe disabilities, based on criteria that evaluate their ability to perform daily activities as well as their mental, sensory and cognitive functions.
The Chinese government rolled out this nationwide subsidy program at the beginning of this year, after several months of pilot in limited regions. So far, elderly care service providers across the country have recorded more than 6.5 billion yuan (about 957 million U.S. dollars) in service payments covered by the subsidies, according to the ministry.
The ministry estimated that the subsidy program has generated about 29 billion yuan in growth for the elderly care service sector.
2 mln elderly people receive caregiving service subsidies in China in 2026: ministry
