Japan's population rose to about 127,687,000 in 2004, up by 0.05 percent from a year earlier, according to a preliminary government report on estimated demographic shifts obtained by Kyodo News.

The report, compiled by the the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, gave figures as of Oct. 1, the date the government uses when it calculates the annual population figure. It includes foreigners living in Japan.

The rate of increase represents a record low since the government began compiling monthly data in 1950, falling below 0.1 percent for the first time.