TOKYO -- Japan's population shrank by a record 420,000 people last year, government estimates show, as the coronavirus pandemic dealt a heavy blow to an influx of foreign workers that had helped offset the country's ongoing natural population decline.

東京——政府估計，去年日本人口減少了創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的42萬人，因為冠狀病毒大流行對外國工人的涌入造成了沉重打擊，幫助抵消了該國持續(xù)的自然人口下降。

The total fell for a 12th straight year, shattering the previous record of 329,000 set just a year earlier. The health ministry estimates Japan's population at 125.57 million as of Jan. 1, based on confirmed data through July and estimates based on births, deaths and foreign arrival and departure data.

總數(shù)連續(xù)第12年下降，打破了一年前創(chuàng)下的32.9萬人的紀(jì)錄。日本厚生省估計，截至1月1日，日本人口為1.2557億，這是根據(jù)截至7月的確認(rèn)數(shù)據(jù)以及出生、死亡和外國入境和離境數(shù)據(jù)估算得出的。

The drop owes in large part to a 60% plunge in foreign arrivals that has kept the labor market tight even though the pandemic has slowed the economy and eliminated many jobs.

這一下降在很大程度上是由于外國移民數(shù)量銳減了60%，這使得勞動力市場保持緊張，盡管這一流行病已經(jīng)減緩了經(jīng)濟(jì)增長，并消除了許多就業(yè)機(jī)會。

The natural rate of decline -- or the difference between births and deaths -- was about on par with 2019 during the first seven months of the year. But net foreign arrivals to the country tumbled more than 40% over that period to 115,000 amid entry restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

自然下降率（即出生和死亡之間的差異）與今年前7個月的2019年基本持平。但是，由于旨在遏制病毒傳播的入境限制，到日本的外國凈入境人數(shù)在此期間下降了40%以上，達(dá)到11.5萬人。

The influx of foreign workers in recent years had alleviated labor shortages in a range of industries, including restaurants, convenience stores, manufacturing and construction.

近年來外國工人的涌入緩解了包括餐館、便利店、制造業(yè)和建筑業(yè)在內(nèi)的一系列行業(yè)的勞動力短缺。

"If the inflow of foreigners continues to be disrupted, the labor shortage will quickly worsen," said Takuya Hoshino of the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

第一生命研究所的Takuya Hoshino說：“如果外國人的流入繼續(xù)受到干擾，勞動力短缺將迅速惡化?！薄?/b>



標(biāo)題是：日本人口和涌入的外國人 （百萬計）
注： 藍(lán)色的是外國人進(jìn)入日本數(shù) 綠色是人口變化

Data from the Bank of Japan shows that employers remain short-handed despite the pandemic.

日本央行（bankofjapan）的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，盡管流感大流行，雇主仍然人手不足。

In the December edition of the quarterly Tankan survey of business sentiment, the diffraction index of employment conditions came in at minus 10, indicating that more companies said employment is "insufficient" than "excessive." Readings were negative in all 12 nonmanufacturing industries, particularly construction, information services and retail.

在12月份的Tankan商業(yè)信心季度調(diào)查中，就業(yè)狀況的繞射指數(shù)為-10，表明更多的公司表示就業(yè)“不足”而不是“過度”。12個非制造業(yè)的數(shù)據(jù)均為負(fù)值，尤其是建筑業(yè)、信息服務(wù)業(yè)和零售業(yè)。

Even the hard-hit restaurant and hotel industry reported a labor shortage, with a reading of minus 3, after spending June and September in surplus territory, though it may have swung back in the other direction during the current state of emergency.

即使是遭受重創(chuàng)的餐飲業(yè)和酒店業(yè)也報告稱，在6月和9月的盈余地區(qū)度過之后，勞動力短缺指數(shù)為負(fù)3，不過在目前的緊急狀態(tài)下，該行業(yè)可能已經(jīng)轉(zhuǎn)向了另一個方向。

The entry of foreign workers is expected to pick up again once vaccines and other measures quell the outbreak. But "wages are rising in China and elsewhere, so it's not clear if there will be as many [people] coming to Japan as before," Hoshino said.

一旦疫苗和其他措施平息疫情，外國工人的入境人數(shù)預(yù)計將再次回升。但Hoshino說：“中國和其他地方的工資都在上漲，所以不清楚來日本的人是否會像以前一樣多?！?。

This year is expected to see a significant drop in birth rates. Reported pregnancies fell 5.1% on the year to about 727,000 for the 10 months through October, according to the health ministry, with a particularly steep decline starting in May.

預(yù)計今年出生率將大幅下降。據(jù)衛(wèi)生部統(tǒng)計，截至10月份的10個月內(nèi)，報告的懷孕率同比下降5.1%，至72.7萬人左右，其中5月份開始下降尤為明顯。

Dai-ichi Life Research and the Japan Research Institute both see births falling below 800,000, beyond 2019's record low of 865,000. The accelerated population decline may continue into next year.

第一生命研究院和日本研究院都預(yù)計出生率將降至80萬以下，超過2019年的最低紀(jì)錄86.5萬。人口的加速下降可能會持續(xù)到明年。