[/floatr]Ibaraki has just announced that a local census shows the prefecture's population has fallen to a 16 year low. It now stands at 2,956,726, down 9,323 from last year. Usually, the area sees a decline in March offset by an increase in April as the period covers the usual time for company transfers and house moving. This year, however, March registered a decline of 5,786 and April a further decline of 3,537. It's the first time since data began to be collected in 1968 that more people have left the prefecture in April than arrived. A big factor in this change at the margin is the movement of foreign residents. 4,163 left in April, up from 1,379 last year. Hokota's foreign population fell 677 compared with only 30 last year and 670 of those left the country. Oarai saw 214 leave, compared with 30 last year, and 201 left the country. Many of the foreigners leaving were on trainee schemes working in agriculture. Labour shorages continue to be a problem in the area.
Source (Japanese)
