Estimated population of Japan before Edo period. Since Kyōto (or Heian-kyō) became the capital of Japan in 794, it has been one of the most important cities in Japan. Hiraizumi and Kamakura flourished under Northern Fujiwara clans (during 12th century) and Kamakura shogunate (1192 to 1333), respectively.

The total population of the Empire of Japan, including Taiwan, Chōsen, and Karafuto was 64,940,034 on Dec 31, 1908, which could be broken down as follows: Japan proper: 51,742,486; Chōsen: 9,918,566; Taiwan: 3,252,589; Karafuto: 26,393; And the population of concessions as of Dec 31, 1908, was as follows: Kwantung: 427,117

Japan's population stabilized during the late Heian period after hundreds of years of decline. [58] ... Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder of the Kamakura shogunate in 1192. This was the first military government in which the shogun with the samurai were the de facto rulers of Japan.

As a result of these developments, Japan's population surged, possibly increasing tenfold compared to the Jōmon period. By the end of the Yayoi period, the population is estimated to have been between 1 and 4 million. [17]

Historians estimate that Japan’s population amounted to about 7 to 9 million inhabitants, spread on a territory encompassing Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu, with a higher density in the Kansai area and around Kamakura at the end of the Kamakura period.