Economics

Tokyo Loses Population for First Time in 26 Years Amid Pandemic

Pedestrians in the Shibuya district in Tokyo.

Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg
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Tokyo’s population shrank last year for the first time in a quarter century, as more businesses turned to remote work amid the pandemic.

The population of Japan’s capital dropped by about 48,600 people to just under 14 million at the start of 2022, the first decline since 1996, the metropolitan government reported Monday.