Japan population falls to 15-year low

TOKYO: Japan’s population has shrunk for the fourth year running, falling back to a level it was last at in 2000, with more than one in four people now aged 65 or older, the government said.

The population dropped by 0.17 percent, or 215,000 people, to 127,083,000 as of October 1 last year, according to the data released on Friday. The figure includes long-staying foreigners.