Text: “Japan’s population plummeted by 640,000 in 2021 for biggest drop on record.” Japan Times https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/15/national/population-drop-japan-record/
Extract: “Japan’s population totaled 125,502,000 as of Oct. 1, down 644,000 from a year earlier to mark the biggest decline on record in the rapidly graying nation, government data showed Friday. The population dipped for the 11th consecutive year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.”
The population in drop in Japan is certainly measurable and the government is concerned about the long-term effects on the economy of the downward trend in numbers. The reasons for the population decline are fairly well-known but are not as easy to measure. The change in population though so far has not, according to critics, resulted in the government making some wholesale changes to employment laws, gender equality and other areas that would help alleviate the problem. Measurements and clear data resulting from the measurements does not always result in effective change.