This Week in Startups · Monday, August 3, 2026
Japan is facing a significant demographic challenge with a declining population, losing an estimated 700,000 to 800,000 people annually, a figure projected to rise to one million soon. This demographic shift is comparable to losing an entire prefecture's population each year. This trend represents a major societal and economic challenge for the country.
“So I don't have the exact percentage, but uh, every year we lose population equivalent of Yamagata prefecture. That is around, uh, 700,000 to 800,000.”
“And this number would go up rapidly to 1 million soon, like each year.”