According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ population statistics for 2015, the seven prefectures of Kyushu together lost 20,021 more people than they took in. On a municipal level, 192 cities, towns and villages lost population, while 41 made gains. The biggest loss, 3,038 persons, was suffered by Kitakyushu City, which ranked first in Japan in population loss for the second year running. Meanwhile, in Fukuoka City, the population jumped by 8,880 souls, which was the third largest bump in Japan behind the 23 Wards of Tokyo and Osaka City. (The Fukuoka suburbs of Shingu Town and Fukutsu City, both located along the JR line, also saw population increases of 1,000 plus.) Aside from Fukuoka City, the only other prefectural seat in Kyushu to experience a gain was Oita City (+339), while all others suffered population drains, the steepest being in Nagasaki City (-1,574). Source: Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications website
(Photo: provided by the City of Fukuoka)
