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

Release Date
2026-04-03
Media
nippon.com
Summary
Japan’s foreign resident population exceeded 4 million for the first time at the end of 2025, reaching 4,125,395—up 9.5% year on year and marking a fourth consecutive record high. Tokyo had the largest share, followed by Osaka, Aichi, and Kanagawa.

Permanent residents made up the largest group by status, while significant numbers were also on work visas (engineer/specialist in humanities/international services) and student visas. The technical trainee population remained stable.

The specified skilled worker (SSW) program saw rapid growth, increasing by 37.2% to 390,296. Within this, the restaurant sector is nearing its cap, with new certifications set to be suspended from April 13 as it approaches the 50,000 limit.

By nationality, Chinese residents were the largest group, followed by Vietnamese and South Koreans. While numbers declined slightly for South Koreans and Brazilians, there were notable increases in residents from Myanmar and Indonesia.
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Population

News Articles including "Population"

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