August 8, 2025
TOKYO – The number of foreign residents living in Japan has jumped to a record-high 3.68 million people, with the foreign resident population growing all across the nation, according to government data.
Figures released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry and based on the basic resident registration system showed the foreign resident population as of Jan. 1 this year had climbed to its highest since such data was first collected in 2013. The increase in the foreign resident population had previously been concentrated in major cities, but now this trend also is becoming noticeable even in regional areas.
The ward-run Nishi-Kasai Elementary School in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, provides a snapshot of this change.
“A child from overseas is a completely normal sight at our school,” Vice Principal Yuka Muramatsu said.
Fifty-five of the school’s 707 students are from other countries, such as China and India. The ward’s foreign resident population has been rising since around 2000. The number of foreign residents aged 5 to 14 has reached 4,360, an increase of 386 from the previous year.
Nishi-Kasai Elementary School has established a classroom dedicated to Japanese-language instruction. “We hope that children who might have felt anxious because they don’t understand Japanese also will be able to attend school without worrying,” Muramatsu, 43, said.
By prefecture, Hokkaido recorded the largest rate of increase in foreign residents from the previous year at 19.57%. Hokkaido was followed by two prefectures in Kyushu — Miyazaki at 18.28% and Saga at 16.39%.
Tokyo was the prefecture with the highest proportion of foreign residents among its population, at 5.15%. This was followed by Aichi at 4.30% and Gunma at 4.27%.
Osaka City was the city or ward that had the most foreign residents, with about 190,000. The town of Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, which is home to many automobile manufacturing plants, had 8,871 foreign residents, making it the town or village with the largest foreign resident population.
Nurturing contributors
The number of foreign residents living in resort areas popular with inbound tourists also has grown significantly.
The town of Kutchan, Hokkaido, which is known for the Niseko ski resort, recorded an increase of 833 foreign residents from the previous year. This was the biggest total increase of any town or village.
The town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, is situated at the foot of Mt. Fuji. The town’s foreign resident population has soared more than sixfold over the past 10 years and stood at 1,143 people. According to the town government, the surge in overseas tourists visiting the area has been accompanied by an increase in foreign residents with excellent language skills working at hotels, tourist facilities and other local businesses.
Some local governments are stepping up efforts to welcome foreign residents.
In March, the Osaki city government in Miyagi Prefecture opened the Osaki City Japanese Language School in an initiative aimed at developing human resources who will put down roots in the region and contribute to local communities. The school has 28 students from Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia, ranging from teenagers to people in their 60s.
Given that more than 30% of the city’s population is elderly, Osaki Mayor Yasushi Ito has high hopes for the new school.
“I hope you will play a part in revitalizing the local community after you graduate,” Ito said to attendees at the school’s opening ceremony.
Guidance on rules and manners
In a bid to help foreign residents better understand rules and etiquette in Japan, the Tomisato city government in Chiba Prefecture has compiled a “Life Manner Manual for Foreigners” that is available in four languages, including English and Vietnamese. The city government began distributing this manual in July.
The Isesaki city government in Gunma Prefecture has a support desk where foreign residents can get advice about daily life and other issues. This information is available in five languages, such as Spanish and Vietnamese.
However, some local governments are being stretched to the limit as they attempt to accommodate the influx of foreign residents.
On Monday, Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono visited the Foreign Ministry and submitted a petition for a temporary suspension of the mutual visa waiver agreement between Japan and Turkey. The prefecture is home to a large foreign national population, including many Kurds who entered Japan from Turkey.
Ono claimed that “unease was spreading among residents” due to this influx.
Tokai University Prof. Masao Manjome, an expert on international labor migration and foreign workers, said: “Promoting a multicultural existence in regional areas is vital for preventing inequality and division. As well as accepting people here as laborers, detailed support must also be offered to them as residents, in such fields as child care, education and medical care.”