With Japan’s population becoming ever more concentrated in Tokyo and the capital's surrounding prefectures, electoral districts are likely to be redrawn in ways that favor giving them more Diet representatives at the expense of less-populated regions.
That, in turn, has members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party wondering about their own future, as many of the party's stalwarts have long relied on voters in more rural districts, where fewer votes are needed to win.
Census figures released Friday showed the nation's population stood at 126,226,568 as of Oct. 1, falling by 0.7% over the last five years. While the rate of decline was smaller than five years ago, 38 of the 47 prefectures — most of them rural — saw a population decrease, as concentration in a handful of urban centers like the capital area continues. Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures are now home to nearly 37 million people, 30% of the country's population.