<Tr> <Td_colspan="3"> 2017 estimate </Td> </Tr> <P> Japan collects census information every five years . The exercise is conducted by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs . </P> <P> Japan's population density was 336 people per square kilometer (874 people per square mile) according to the UN World Populations Prospects as of July 2005 . It ranks 37th in a list of countries by population density, ranking directly above India (336 per km) and directly below Belgium (341 per km). Between 1955 and 1989, land prices in the six largest cities increased 15,000% (+ 12% a year). Urban land prices generally increased 40% from 1980 to 1987; in the six largest cities, the price of land doubled over that period . For many families, this trend put housing in central cities out of reach . </P> <P> The result was lengthy commutes for many workers in the big cities, especially in Tokyo area where daily commutes of two hours each way are common . In 1991, as the bubble economy started to collapse, land prices began a steep decline, and within a few years fell 60% below their peak . After a decade of declining land prices, residents began moving back into central city areas (especially Tokyo's 23 wards), as evidenced by 2005 census figures . Despite nearly 70% of Japan being covered by forests, parks in many major cities--especially Tokyo and Osaka--are smaller and scarcer than in major West European or North American cities . As of 2014, parkland per inhabitant in Tokyo is 5.78 square meters, which is roughly half of the 11.5 square meters of Madrid . </P>

Japan has the highest absolute number of older adults