Japan’s Foreign Population Rises Above 4 Million for the First Time

Growing Foreign Population

Japan’s foreign population has surpassed 4 million for the first time. According to Immigration Services Agency figures, there were 4,125,395 foreign residents in Japan as of the end of 2025, an increase of 356,418, or 9.5%, year on year. This was the fourth consecutive record high.

By prefecture, Tokyo had the largest foreign population at 801,438 (up 8.5%), accounting for 19.4% of the national total. It was followed by Osaka with 375,319, Aichi with 357,800, and Kanagawa with 317,353.

By residence status, permanent residents were most common at 947,125 (up 3.2% year on year). There were also 475,790 residents on “engineer/specialist in humanities/international services” visas and 464,784 students. The number of technical trainees remained largely unchanged at 456,618.

The number of residents on the specified skilled worker program, introduced in 2019 to meet labor shortages in particular industries, spiked by 37.2% to 390,296. There are two categories: SSW1, which allows for stays of up to five years, and SSW2, which is effectively indefinite and allows workers to bring their families to live in Japan. The number of SSW1 workers in the restaurant industry reached 46,000 as of February 28 and is predicted to surpass the cap of 50,000 in May, prompting certification to be suspended from April 13.

Chinese accounted for the largest number of foreign residents at 930,428, followed by Vietnamese at 681,100 and South Koreans at 407,341. Among the top 10, there were minor decreases in foreign residents hailing from South Korea (which includes many long-term special permanent residents) and Brazil, and large rises in residents from Myanmar (35.7%) and Indonesia (33.2%).

Data Sources

• Data on Japan’s foreign population (Japanese) from the Immigration Services
• Data on foreign workers in the restaurant industry (Japanese) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries
• Information on the suspension of SSW certification in the restaurant industry (Japanese) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Specified skilled workers from the Philippines undergoing sushi training with Ginza Onodera in November 2022. © Jiji.)