The population of Tokyo might break 13 million as early as next year, five years earlier than estimated by the national population research institute and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, because the capital has become a magnet for people fleeing sluggish economies in the rest of Japan.
According to estimates made in May 2007 by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the population of Tokyo will climb to 12.9 million in 2010 and peak at 13.1 million in 2020 before sliding back to 13.04 million in 2025.
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