The combined population of Kyushu and Okinawa fell 0.62% year on year to 13.97 million as of January 1, 2026, according to a Basic Resident Register survey released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on July 29. All eight prefectures recorded declines. Fukuoka had about 5.07 million residents, down 0.20%, followed by Kumamoto at 1.70 million, down 0.78%; Kagoshima at 1.54 million, down 1.13%; Okinawa at 1.48 million, down 0.01%; Nagasaki at 1.25 million, down 1.30%; Oita at 1.09 million, down 0.98%; Miyazaki at 1.03 million, down 1.18%; and Saga at 780,000, down 0.80%. The prefectural totals were rounded down to the nearest 10,000.
By contrast, the region’s foreign resident population increased 11.88% to 274,851, marking a second consecutive year of double-digit growth. Every prefecture exceeded the national increase of 9.62%. Fukuoka had the largest foreign population at 123,731, up 11.01%. Okinawa recorded the fastest growth, rising 14.36% to 32,912, followed by Oita at 13.90% to 22,656, Kagoshima at 13.57% to 21,221, Saga at 13.01% to 12,629, Miyazaki at 12.26% to 12,736, Nagasaki at 11.54% to 17,215, and Kumamoto at 9.93% to 31,751. Miyakojima City posted a 25.16% increase, while Kitsuki, Usuki, and Nakatsu recorded growth in the 20–30% range. Source: Nikkei / Nishinippon Shimbun
Photo: Fukuoka Now (For image purposes only)
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