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Statistics Bureau of Japan: prices, population, jobs and the e-Stat portal

The Statistics Bureau of Japan, part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, produces the national census, monthly population estimates, the consumer price index, the Labour Force Survey and the Family Income and Expenditure Survey. Its tables, and those of other ministries, are published on e-Stat, the government's official statistics portal. Fact-checkers use these sources for claims about inflation, unemployment, population decline and household spending.

Release calendar

What it publishes

• Consumer Price Index for Japan and the Tokyo ward area, monthly, now on a 2025 base.
• Labour Force Survey: employment, unemployment and labour force participation, monthly and quarterly.
• Population Estimates: monthly totals and annual 1 October estimates by age, sex and prefecture.
• Population Census every five years, most recently on 1 October 2025.
• Family Income and Expenditure Survey on household income and spending.
• Economic Census, Housing and Land Survey and other periodic surveys.
• e-Stat, which also hosts statistics from other ministries, including vital statistics and wage surveys.

Key datasets

• Consumer Price Index, latest national results
  Headline, core (excluding fresh food) and core-core indices, with year-on-year changes.
  Updated: Monthly
• Labour Force Survey, monthly results
  Unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted), employed and unemployed persons.
  Updated: Monthly
• Population Estimates
  Monthly provisional and final population totals, including foreign residents.
  Updated: Monthly
• 2025 Population Census results
  Population, households and foreign residents by prefecture and municipality.
  Updated: Every five years
• Consumer Price Index (English)
  English explanation, base revisions and release schedule.
  Updated: Monthly

APIs and downloads

• e-Stat portal
  Searchable database and downloadable tables for official statistics from all ministries; an API is available after free registration.
• Statistics Bureau English site
  English pages for the main surveys, with links to tables on e-Stat.

When it publishes

The national CPI is published on a Friday in the second half of the following month, with the Tokyo index about three weeks earlier. The Labour Force Survey appears at the end of the following month. Population estimates are published monthly around the 20th. Each survey page links to a release schedule for the fiscal year.

How to use it to check a claim

1. For inflation claims, check whether the figure is headline CPI, CPI excluding fresh food or CPI excluding fresh food and energy; Japanese reporting often calls the second one 'core'.
2. Note the base year: the CPI moved to a 2025 base with the August 2026 release, which revised index levels.
3. For unemployment, use the seasonally adjusted rate for month-to-month comparisons and the unadjusted numbers for year-on-year changes.
4. For population, say whether a figure is a census count, a final estimate or a provisional estimate, and whether it includes foreign residents.
5. When a claim cites a figure from another ministry, look it up on e-Stat, which names the producing ministry for each table.

Common mistakes

• Most detailed pages are in Japanese only; the English pages summarise but often do not show the latest numbers.
• Provisional population estimates are revised after five months, and all estimates will be rebased on the 2025 census.
• The Labour Force Survey and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare employment statistics measure different things and should not be mixed.
• Fiscal years run April to March, while the CPI and Labour Force Survey also publish calendar-year averages.

Where is Japan's latest inflation figure?

On the Statistics Bureau's CPI page for the latest national results, published monthly. It gives headline CPI and two core measures with year-on-year changes. Full tables are on e-Stat.

Is there an English version of e-Stat?

Yes. e-Stat has an English interface, though many table titles and notes remain in Japanese. Searching by survey name usually works in both languages.

How often is Japan's census held?

Every five years, in October of years ending in 0 and 5. The 2025 census results are being published in stages from May 2026 to 2027.

Questions answered using this source

• What is the inflation rate in Japan?
• What is the unemployment rate in Japan?
• What is the population of Japan?
• What did Japan's 2025 census find?
• How many foreigners live in Japan?

Links checked 14 October 2026. This page describes what the source publishes and gives no verdict on any claim.