Foreign population hits record 4.28 million in Asia's 6th most populous country

Japan's foreign resident population reached a record 4.28 million at the end of June, making up 3.48% of the country's population, according to the Immigration Services Agency.

The foreign population was up 155,631, or 3.8%, from the end of 2025, a slower pace than the 5% rise in the first half of 2025, The Japan Times reported.

The count excludes short-term visitors such as tourists.

Japan is Asia's sixth most populous country, with a population of about 122.4 million in 2026, according to the United Nations Population Division.

"We will continue to implement strict yet smooth immigration management so that both Japanese citizens and foreign residents can live safely and securely," Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita told a press conference on Oct. 16, Jiji Press reported.

Chinese nationals remained the largest group, at 941,031, or 22% of the total. Vietnamese followed with 693,750, or 16.2%, ahead of South Koreans, at 408,682.

Vietnamese were the largest nationality among technical intern trainees, at 176,865 of 457,509, and among Specified Skilled Worker visa holders, at 176,915 of 444,256.

People cross the Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Tokyo, Japan. Illustration photo by Unsplash/Vlad D

By residence status, holders of the Specified Skilled Worker status, introduced in 2019 to ease labor shortages in sectors such as nursing care, agriculture and food service, posted the biggest gain, up 53,960 to 444,256.

Holders of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, which covers a broad range of white-collar jobs, rose by 40,394 to 516,184. International students rose by 14,842 to 479,626, while technical intern trainees edged up by 891 to 457,509.

Tokyo had the most foreign residents, at 824,486, or 19.3% of the national total.

New foreign arrivals fell 0.1% from a year earlier to 19.71 million in the first half of 2026. South Korea was the largest source, at 5.55 million, up 19%, followed by Taiwan, at 3.77 million.

The agency attributed the dip to a 57.3% fall in short-term visitors from China following a diplomatic feud sparked by remarks from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan, Jiji reported.

New arrivals on the Business Manager visa for business owners and managers plunged 80.9%, which the news agency said likely reflected Japan's move in October 2025 to raise the minimum capital requirement from 5 million yen ($31,700) to 30 million yen ($190,000), among other tighter rules.