The number of Japan's self-employed farmworkers fell by 25.1 percent in 2025 from five years earlier to 1.02 million, marking the largest decline ever, according to the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

Meanwhile, the average age of Japan's core farmworkers decreased to 67.6 from 67.8 in 2020, marking the first decline since 1995, according to the ministry's latest census. This change reflects the impact of retirements on the workforce.

The data highlights the continued contraction of a sector vital to the country's food security, mainly due to an aging population, Japan Today reported.

The decreasing number of farmworkers in the latest census shows fewer young people entering the profession, raising worries about more abandoned farmland, the report said.

The number of farm business entities, including corporations, decreased by 23 percent to 828,000 from the previous survey, representing the most significant decline since 2005 when comparable data became available, according to the census.