Student populations hit record lows in Hiroshima and Ishikawa

Recent data from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's School Basic Survey reveals a continuous decline in student populations across several Japanese prefectures.

In Hiroshima, the number of elementary and junior high school students has reached a record low. Elementary students fell by 4,432 from the previous year to 130,177, marking eight consecutive years of decline. Junior high students also hit a record low of 72,274, decreasing for five straight years. While high school enrollment saw a slight increase for the fourth consecutive year, kindergarten enrollment has declined for 14 years.

In Ishikawa, the elementary student population fell by 1,751 to 50,821, marking 20 consecutive years of decline. This figure is approximately one-third of the peak recorded in 1958. Junior high students in the prefecture also reached a record low of 28,171. The decline is particularly pronounced in the Noto region.

Similar trends were observed in the Hokuriku region, where both Toyama and Fukui prefectures reported record lows for elementary and junior high school student numbers.