Japan is on track to lose nearly one million residents this year, as its demographic decline enters a critical stage.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, issued a warning on social media, noting that the nation of around 124 million people could see a massive drop in its population within a single year.
He explained that this downward trend began decades ago and is not tied to artificial intelligence, though he suggested AI may be one of the few tools capable of helping reverse such a decline.
The demographic shift is driven by a long-standing imbalance between the number of births and deaths in Japan.
In 2024, the country recorded nearly one million more deaths than births, marking its steepest drop since record-keeping began.
Births fell to a historic low of just 687,689, while deaths reached a record high of 1.6 million. As a result, the population decreased to about 120 million, down from 126.6 million in 2009.
Japan’s aging population deepens the crisis. Nearly one-third of the population is elderly, and only around 59 percent fall within the working-age bracket.
Forecasts suggest that the working-age group could shrink by more than 30 percent by 2060, which would put added strain on the economy and social systems.
The Japanese government has launched several measures in response, including free childcare, expanded healthcare access, shorter workweeks, and AI-powered matchmaking to encourage higher birth rates.
Despite these steps, experts believe reversing the trend will take decades before a noticeable recovery is seen.