A: Hey buddy! Guess what's new?
B: What is it, friend?

A: Seems like more folks are leaving Japan than before! The total population dropped for the 16th year in a row! Crazy, right?
B: No way! How many people are we talking about?

A: It's over 900,000 this time! That's the largest decline ever since they started keeping records in 1968.
B: Wow, that's a big drop! I wonder where most of them went...

A: Tokyo still has the biggest crowd, with around 14 million people. But after that, it's Kanagawa and Osaka. The smallest populations are in Tottori, Shimane, and Kochi prefectures.
B: Interesting to see how it differs from one place to another. But the population decline happened everywhere except Tokyo and Chiba.

A: That's right! Foreigners living in Japan increased too, reaching over 3.67 million – that's the highest number since they started keeping records back in 2013.
B: Looks like more people are moving into the country, which might help balance things out a bit. Let's keep an eye on this trend!
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The number of Japanese people living in Japan has decreased for the 16th consecutive year to about 121 million, marking the largest annual recorded decline of over 900,000.



The Internal Affairs Ministry says the total number of people living in Japan as of January 1 this year was just over 124.331 million, a decline of about 554,500, or 0.44 percent, from last year.



Tokyo had the largest population of some 14 million, followed by neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture with 9.2 million and Osaka Prefecture with 8.8 million.



Tottori Prefecture had the smallest population of about 534,000, while neighboring Shimane Prefecture had the second fewest number of people at about 642,600. Kochi Prefecture had the third fewest, with 665,000.



The population grew year-on-year in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, while the 45 other prefectures saw declines.



The number of Japanese residents was just over 120.653 million, a decline of about 908,600, or 0.75 percent, from last year.



Both the population decrease and the rate of decline were the largest since record-keeping began in 1968.



The population of Japanese residents has been declining for 16 straight years since peaking at more than 127 million in 2009.



Meanwhile, the number of foreigners living in Japan was over 3.677 million, up about 354,100 from the previous year. Both the number of foreigners and the increase in the number were the largest since record-keeping began in 2013.
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Quiz 1:
What was the total number of people living in Japan as of January 1 this year according to the Internal Affairs Ministry?
A. More than 124 million
B. Exactly 124.331 million
C. Less than 124 million
D. Over 125 million

[Answer block]
Answers: Quiz 1: B

Quiz 2:
Which prefecture had the smallest population in Japan?
A. Tottori Prefecture
B. Shimane Prefecture
C. Kochi Prefecture
D. None of these prefectures

[Answer block]
Answers: Quiz 2: A

Quiz 3:
The population of Japanese residents has been declining for how many consecutive years?
A. 15 years
B. 16 years
C. 17 years
D. 18 years

[Answer block]
Answers: Quiz 3: B