Editing Demographics of Japan (section)

==Migration==

===Internal migration===
{{main|Migration in Japan}}
Between 6 million and 7 million people moved their residences each year during the 1980s. About 50% of these moves were within the same prefecture; the others were relocations from one prefecture to another. During Japan's economic development in the twentieth century, and especially during the 1950s and 1960s, migration was characterized by [[urbanization]] as people from rural areas in increasing numbers moved to the larger metropolitan areas in search of better jobs and education. Out-migration from rural prefectures continued in the late 1980s, but more slowly than in previous decades.<ref name=loc/>

In the 1980s, government policy provided support for new urban development away from the large cities, particularly Tokyo, and assisted regional cities to attract young people to live and work there. Regional cities offered familiarity to those from nearby areas, lower costs of living, shorter commutes, and, in general, a more relaxed lifestyle than could be had in larger cities. Young people continued to move to large cities, however, to attend universities and find work, but some returned to regional cities (a pattern known as U-turn) or to their prefecture of origin (referred to as "J-turn"), or even moved to a rural area for the first time ("I-turn").<ref name=loc/><ref>{{in lang|ja}} [https://www.creativevillage.ne.jp/21854 「Uターン」「Jターン」「Iターン」とは？地方への転職のメリット・デメリット] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719031433/https://www.creativevillage.ne.jp/21854 |date=2020-07-19 }} ''Creative Village'', 2017/03/08</ref>

Government statistics show that in the 1980s significant numbers of people left the largest central cities (Tokyo and Osaka) to move to suburbs within their metropolitan areas. In 1988, more than 500,000 people left Tokyo, which experienced a net loss through migration of nearly 73,000 for the year. Osaka had a net loss of nearly 36,000 in the same year.<ref name=loc/>

With a decreasing total population, internal migration results in only eight prefectures showing an increase in population. These are [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] 
(2.9%), [[Tokyo]] 
(2.7%), [[Aichi Prefecture|Aichi]] 
(1.0%), [[Saitama Prefecture|Saitama]] 
(1.0%), [[Kanagawa Prefecture|Kanagawa]] 
(0.9%), [[Fukuoka Prefecture|Fukuoka]] 
(0.6%), [[Shiga Prefecture|Shiga]] 
(0.2%), and [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]] 
(0.1%).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stat.go.jp/data/nihon/02.html|title=統計局ホームページ/日本の統計 2018－第2章 人口・世帯|last=総務省統計局|website=www.stat.go.jp|language=ja|access-date=2018-06-15|archive-date=2018-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111341/http://www.stat.go.jp/data/nihon/02.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Emigration===
{{Main|Japanese diaspora}}
About 663,300 Japanese were living abroad, approximately 75,000 of whom had permanent foreign residency, more than six times the number who had that status in 1975. More than 200,000 Japanese went abroad in 1990 for extended periods of study, research, or business assignments. As the government and private corporations have stressed internationalization, greater numbers of individuals have been directly affected, decreasing Japan's historical insularity. By the late 1980s, these problems, particularly the [[ijime|bullying]] of returnee children in schools, had become a major public issue both in Japan and in Japanese communities abroad.<ref name=loc/>

Cities with significant populations of [[Japanese diaspora|Japanese nationals]] in 2015 included: 
* [[Los Angeles]], United States: 68,689
* [[Bangkok]], Thailand: 48,700
* [[Shanghai]], China: 46,115
* [[New York City|New York]], United States: 44,636
* [[Singapore]]: 36,963
* [[London]], United Kingdom: 36,721
* [[Sydney]], Australia: 30,448
* [[Vancouver]], Canada: 26,999
* [[Hong Kong]]: 26,869
* [[San Francisco]], United States: 18,777
* [[Toronto]], Canada: 13,410

Note: The above data shows the number of Japanese nationals living overseas. It was published by the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan]] and relates to 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/toko/page22_000043.html |title=Annual Report of Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas |access-date=2018-04-08 |df=dmy-all |archive-date=2018-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408141349/http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/toko/page22_000043.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Immigration===
{{Main|Immigration to Japan}}
According to the Japanese immigration centre, the number of foreign residents in Japan has steadily increased, and the number of foreign residents exceeded 3,768,977 people in December 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/press/13_00052.html|title=令和6年末現在における在留外国人数について &#124; 出入国在留管理庁|website=www.moj.go.jp}}</ref><ref name="toukei_touroku_gaiyou">{{Cite web|url=https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/policies/statistics/toukei_touroku_gaiyou.html|title=在留外国人統計（旧登録外国人統計） 結果の概要 &#124; 出入国在留管理庁|website=www.moj.go.jp}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/policies/statistics/toukei_ichiran_touroku.html|title=【在留外国人統計（旧登録外国人統計）統計表】 &#124; 出入国在留管理庁|website=www.moj.go.jp}}</ref>

In 2020, the number of foreigners in Japan was 2,887,116. This includes 325,000 Filipinos, many of whom are married to Japanese nationals and possessing some degree of Japanese ancestry,<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://globalnation.inquirer.net/186453/fwd-2-filipinos-in-japan-suspected-positive-for-covid-19|title = 2 Filipinos in Japan may be COVID-19 positive, says PH Embassy|date = April 2020|access-date = 2021-07-25|archive-date = 2021-03-26|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210326234545/https://globalnation.inquirer.net/186453/fwd-2-filipinos-in-japan-suspected-positive-for-covid-19|url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="ministry">{{cite web|publisher=Ministry of Justice|title=平成２３年末現在における外国人登録者統計について 法務省|language=ja|trans-title=Statistics of Registered Foreigners in 2011|location=Japan|date=February 22, 2012|url=http://www.moj.go.jp/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/nyuukokukanri04_00015.html|access-date=June 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419181549/http://www.moj.go.jp/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/nyuukokukanri04_00015.html|archive-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> 208,538 Brazilians, the majority possessing some degree of Japanese ancestry,<ref name="ministry"/> 778,112 Chinese, 448,053 Vietnamese and 426,908 South Koreans. Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Filipinos and Brazilians account for about 77% of foreign residents in Japan.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

The current issue of the shrinking workforce in Japan alongside its aging population has resulted in a recent need to attract foreign labour to the country.{{cn|date=July 2024}} Reforms which took effect in 2015 relax visa requirements for "Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals" and create a new type of residence status with an unlimited period of stay.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

According to the Civil Affairs Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Justice, the number of naturalized individuals peaked in 2003 at 17,633, before declining to 8,800 by 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.moj.go.jp/MINJI/toukei_t_minj03.html | title=法務省：帰化許可申請者数等の推移 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.moj.go.jp/content/001414946.pdf]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hirose-asoffice.com/_p/acre/18391/documents/%E5%9B%BD%E7%B1%8D%E5%88%A5%E5%B8%B0%E5%8C%96%E8%A8%B1%E5%8F%AF%E8%80%85%E6%95%B0.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2024-08-27 |archive-date=2024-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605044250/https://hirose-asoffice.com/_p/acre/18391/documents/%E5%9B%BD%E7%B1%8D%E5%88%A5%E5%B8%B0%E5%8C%96%E8%A8%B1%E5%8F%AF%E8%80%85%E6%95%B0.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://www.moj.go.jp/content/001414947.pdf]</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://matsutoh-gyosei.sakura.ne.jp/archives/734 | title=帰化許可者数の推移 | date=8 June 2024 }}</ref> Most of the decline is accounted for by a steep reduction in the number of Japan-born Koreans taking Japanese citizenship. Historically the bulk of those taking Japanese citizenship have not been foreign-born immigrants but rather Japanese-born descendants of Koreans and Taiwanese who lost their citizenship in the [[Japanese Empire]] in 1947 as part of the American Occupation policy for Japan.

Japanese statistical authorities do not collect information on ethnicity, only nationality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shendruk |first=Amanda |date=2021-07-08 |title=Are you even trying to stop racism if you don't collect data on race? |url=https://qz.com/2029525/the-20-countries-that-dont-collect-racial-and-ethnic-census-data/ |access-date=2022-07-04 |website=Quartz |language=en |archive-date=2022-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709223931/https://qz.com/2029525/the-20-countries-that-dont-collect-racial-and-ethnic-census-data/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, both native and naturalized Japanese citizens are counted in a single group.<ref name="xvq">{{cite web |title=平成20年末現在における外国人登録者統計について(Number of Foreign residents in Japan) |url=http://www.moj.go.jp/PRESS/090710-1/090710-1.html |access-date=2011-11-09 |publisher=Moj.go.jp |archive-date=2023-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416003134/https://www.moj.go.jp/PRESS/090710-1/090710-1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although official statistics therefore show homogeneity, other analyses describe the population as "multi-ethnic".<ref name="lie"/><ref name="Gentensei Shinko Shinbun 2010">{{cite book |author=Atsushi Kotani |trans-title=The Phoniness of the Japanese Cultural Theory |script-title=ja:日本文化論のインチキ |isbn=978-4-344-98166-9 |publisher=Gentensei Shinko Shinbun |year=2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=[[Eiji Oguma]]|script-title=ja:単一民族神話の起源――<日本人>の自画像の系|trans-title=The Origin of the Myth of Ethnic Homogeneity: A Genealogy of "Japanese" Self-Images|publisher=[[Shin-yo-sha]]|year=1995}}</ref>

===Net Migration===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Net Migration to Japan (2001–present)<ref>{{cite web |title=Portal Site of Official Statistics of Japan |url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en |website=e-Stat |publisher=Statistics Bureau of Japan |access-date=2025-04-26}}</ref>
! Year !! Net Migration
|-
| 2001 || 145,781
|-
| 2002 || -50,788
|-
| 2003 || 67,832
|-
| 2004 || -35,076
|-
| 2005 || -52,729
|-
| 2006 || 1,221
|-
| 2007 || 3,598
|-
| 2008 || -44,626
|-
| 2009 || -123,748
|-
| 2010 || 14
|-
| 2011 || -78,984
|-
| 2012 || -78,805
|-
| 2013 || 14,378
|-
| 2014 || 36,386
|-
| 2015 || 94,438
|-
| 2016 || 133,892
|-
| 2017 || 150,727
|-
| 2018 || 161,456
|-
| 2019 || 208,783
|-
| 2020 || 41,907
|-
| 2021 || -35,188
|-
| 2022 || 175,115
|-
| 2023 || 242,131
|-
| 2024 || 339,843
|}

====Foreign residents====
[[File:Foreign_residents_in_Japan_2023.png|thumb|right|Foreigners in Japan]]
[[File:Age and Sex Distribution of Major Foreigners in Japan en.png|thumb|Age and sex distribution of major foreign cohorts in Japan]]

In 2021, there were 2,887,116 foreign residents in Japan, representing 2.3% of the Japanese population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Population Estimates Population Estimates by Age (Five-Year Groups) and Sex – February 1, 2021(Final estimates), July 1, 2021(Provisional estimates) {{!}} File {{!}} Browse Statistics|url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&query=%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%A3&layout=dataset&stat_infid=000032106091|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Portal Site of Official Statistics of Japan|language=en|archive-date=July 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724233413/https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&query=%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%A3&layout=dataset&stat_infid=000032106091|url-status=live}}</ref> Foreign Army personnel, of which there were up to 430,000 from the [[Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers|SCAP]] ([[Post-occupation Japan|post-occupation]], [[United States Forces Japan]]) and 40,000 [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force|BCOF]] in the immediate post-war years, have not been at any time included in Japanese foreign resident statistics.<ref name="TESSA1">Morris-Suzuki, Tessa; ''Borderline Japan: foreigners and frontier controls in the post-war era;'' Cambridge 2010; {{ISBN|978-0-521-86460-2}}, Ch. 1: "Border Politics," Ch. 8: "A point of no return"</ref> Most foreign residents in Japan come from [[Brazil]] or from other Asian countries, particularly from [[China]], [[Vietnam]], [[South Korea]], [[Philippines|the Philippines]], and [[Nepal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/03/11/national/japan-sees-record-high-number-foreign-residents-justice-ministry/|title=Japan sees record high number of foreign residents: Justice Ministry|first=Shusuke|last=Murai|date=March 11, 2016|via=Japan Times Online|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714100607/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/03/11/national/japan-sees-record-high-number-foreign-residents-justice-ministry/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00137/japan%E2%80%99s-foreign-population-climbs-to-all-time-high.html|title=Japan's Foreign Population Climbs to All-Time High|date=March 29, 2016|website=nippon.com|access-date=December 26, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209082552/https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00137/japan%E2%80%99s-foreign-population-climbs-to-all-time-high.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A number of long-term resident Koreans in Japan today retain familial links with the descendants of [[Koreans]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kokkai.ndl.go.jp/SENTAKU/syugiin/023/0488/02312080488003a.html |title=衆議院会議録情報 第０２３回国会 法務委員会 第３号 |website=Kokkai.ndl.go.jp |access-date=2017-04-17 |archive-date=2014-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715104128/http://kokkai.ndl.go.jp/SENTAKU/syugiin/023/0488/02312080488003a.html |url-status=live }}</ref> that either immigrated voluntarily or were forcibly relocated during the [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese occupation of Korea]]. Within this group, a number hold [[Special Permanent Resident (Japan)|Special Permanent Resident]] status, granted under the terms of the Normalisation Treaty (22nd June 1965) between South Korea and Japan.<ref>Morris-Suzuki (2010), p. 230</ref> In many cases special residents, despite being born in Japan and speaking Japanese, have chosen not to take advantage of the mostly automatic granting of citizenship to special resident applicants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.han.org/a/fukuoka96a.html |title=Koreans in Japan: Past and Present |publisher=HAN |access-date=2017-04-17 |archive-date=2019-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606063047/http://www.han.org/a/fukuoka96a.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Beginning in 1947 the [[Government of Japan|Japanese government]] started to repatriate Korean nationals, who had nominally been granted [[Japanese nationality law|Japanese citizenship]] during the years of [[Occupation of Japan|military occupation]]. When the [[Treaty of San Francisco]] came into force many ethnic Koreans lost their Japanese citizenship from April 28, 1952, and with it the right to welfare grants, to hold a government job of any kind or to attend Japanese schools.<ref name="TESSA1" /> In the following year the government contrived, with the help of the Red Cross, a scheme to "repatriate" Korean residents, who mainly were from the Southern Provinces, to their "home" of [[North Korea]].<ref>Agreement signed in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], brokered by the [[ICRC]]. Morris-Suzuki (2010), p. 208</ref> Between 1959 and 1984 93,430 people used this route, of whom 6,737 were Japanese or Chinese dependents. Most of these departures – 78,276 – occurred before 1962.<ref>Detailed in: Morris-Suzuki, Tessa (2006). ''Exodus to North Korea: Shadows from Japan's Cold War''. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, Publishers. {{ISBN|978-0-7425-5441-2}}.</ref>

[[File:Foreign nationals living in Japan (2023).png|thumb|Foreign-born population by citizenship in 2023<ref>[http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2000/gaikoku/00/hyodai.htm Japan Statistics Bureau] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225055120/http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2000/gaikoku/00/hyodai.htm |date=December 25, 2007 }}, accessed 8 December 2007</ref>]]

All non-Japanese without special residential status (people whose residential roots go back to before WWII) are required by law to register with the government and carry alien registration cards. From the early 1980s, a civil disobedience movement encouraged refusal of the [[fingerprint]]ing that accompanied registration every five years.<ref name=loc/>

Opponents of fingerprinting argued that it was discriminatory because the only Japanese who were fingerprinted were criminals. The courts upheld fingerprinting, but the law was changed so that fingerprinting was done once rather than with each renewal of the registration,<ref name=loc>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/japancountrystud00dola|title=Japan : a country study|first1=Ronald E.|last1=Dolan|first2=Robert L.|last2=Worden|date=November 1, 1992|publisher=Washington, D.C. : Federal Research Division, Library of Congress : For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.|isbn=9780844407319 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> which until a law reform in 1989 was usually required every six months for anybody from the age of 16. Those refusing fingerprinting were denied re-entry permits, thus depriving them of freedom of movement.

Of these foreign residents below, the new wave which started in 2014, came to Japan as students or trainees. These foreigners are registered under student visa or trainee visa, which gives them the student residency status. Most of these new foreigners are under this visa. Almost all of these foreign students and trainees will return to their home country after three to four years (one valid period); few students extend their visa. [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] makes the largest increase, however [[Demographics of Burma|Burmese]], [[Cambodians]], [[Filipinos]] and [[Chinese people|Chinese]] are also increasing.

[[Asian migrant brides in Japan|Asian migrant wives of Japanese men]] have also contributed to the foreign-born population in the country. Many young single Japanese male farmers choose foreign wives, mainly from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China and South Korea, due to a lack of interest from Japanese women living a farming life.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sugimoto |first=Yoshio |date=22 June 2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JyaeipnFbvUC |title=An Introduction to Japanese Society |publisher=Cambridge University Press |via=Google Books|isbn=9781139489478}}</ref> Migrant wives often travel as [[mail-order bride]]s as a result of [[arranged marriage]]s with Japanese men.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gK2TJ8mKs-MC|title=Local Dynamics in an Era of Globalization: 21st Century Catalysts for Development|first1=Shahid|last1=Yusuf|first2=Weiping|last2=Wu|first3=Simon J.|last3=Evenett|date=16 September 2017|publisher=World Bank Publications|via=Google Books|isbn=9780195215977}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Country region groups!! rowspan="2" |Number!!colspan="2"|Percentage of
|-
!Foreign<br />citizens!!Total<br />population
|-
|South Asians
|align=right|255,168
|{{percentage bar|8.8}}
|{{percentage bar|0.20}}
|-
|Southeast Asians
|align=right|1,304,765
|{{percentage bar|45.2}}
|{{percentage bar|1.0}}
|-
|Other East Asians
|align=right|1,301,610
|{{percentage bar|45.1}}
|{{percentage bar|1.0}}
|-
|Europeans/North Americans
|align=right|84,916
|{{percentage bar|2.9}}
|{{percentage bar|0.05}}
|-
|South Americans
|align=right|256,794
|{{percentage bar|8.8}}
|{{percentage bar|0.20}}
|-
|Others (African, West Asian, etc.)
|align=right|635,787
|{{percentage bar|23.6}}
|{{percentage bar|0.50}}
|-
!Total (as of 2022)
|align=right| 2,887,116
|{{percentage bar|100}}
|{{percentage bar|2.3}}
|}

===Table: numbers of foreign nationals in Japan===
{{Cleanup|list|reason=lack of sources for earlier years, sorting and table layout|date=July 2023}}
{{table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable col1left col15left" style="text-align:right;"
! style="background:#9dbec3;"|Country
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |1990
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2000<ref>{{cite web |author=National Statistics Center |url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&data=1&metadata=1&cycle=7&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&tclass1=000001060436&tclass2val=0&year=20000&month=0&result_back=1 |title=国籍（出身地）2000年 |website=E-stat.go.jp |access-date=2024-04-03 |archive-date=2024-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410065856/https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&data=1&metadata=1&cycle=7&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&tclass1=000001060436&tclass2val=0&year=20000&month=0&result_back=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2005
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2010
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2011
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2012<ref>{{cite web |author=National Statistics Center |url=http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/List.do?lid=000001111233 |title=統計表一覧 政府統計の総合窓口 GL08020103 |website=E-stat.go.jp |access-date=2017-04-17 |archive-date=2017-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719060732/http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/List.do?lid=000001111233 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2014<ref name="stat.go" />
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2015<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/List.do?lid=000001150236 |title=統計表一覧 政府統計の総合窓口 GL08020103 |website=E-stat.go.jp |access-date=2017-04-17 |archive-date=2017-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020135356/http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/List.do?lid=000001150236 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2017<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&lid=000001196143|title=在留外国人統計（旧登録外国人統計） 2017年6月 {{!}} ファイルから探す {{!}} 統計データを探す {{!}} 政府統計の総合窓口|website=www.e-stat.go.jp|language=ja|access-date=2018-02-10|archive-date=2018-02-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211190010/https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&lid=000001196143|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#9dbec3;" |2019<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=統計表一覧 政府統計の総合窓口 GL08020103|url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&cycle=1&year=20190&month=24101212&tclass1=000001060399|access-date=2019-12-01|website=E-stat.go.jp|archive-date=2020-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902164221/https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&cycle=1&year=20190&month=24101212&tclass1=000001060399|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#9dbec3;"|2020<ref name="toukei_touroku_gaiyou" />
! style="background:#9dbec3;"|2023<ref>{{cite web |author=National Statistics Center |url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&cycle=1&year=20230&month=24101212&tclass1=000001060399&result_back=1&tclass2val=0&metadata=1&data=1 |title=国籍・地域別 在留資格 2023年 |website=E-stat.go.jp |access-date=2024-04-03 |archive-date=2024-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410065854/https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&cycle=1&year=20230&month=12040606&tclass1=000001060399&result_back=1&tclass2val=0&metadata=1&data=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! style="background:#9dbec3;"|2024<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/press/13_00052.html | title=令和６年末現在における在留外国人数について &#124; 出入国在留管理庁 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001434755.pdf]</ref>
! style="background:#9dbec3;"|Main article
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|CHN}} [[China]]
| |{{nts|137499}}
| |{{nts|335575}}
| |{{nts|519561}}
| |{{nts|687156}}
| |{{nts|674879}}
| |{{nts|652555}}<ref name="excluding Taiwan" /> 
| |{{nts|654777}}<ref name="excluding Taiwan" /> 
| |{{nts|665847}}<ref name="excluding Taiwan">excluding Taiwan</ref> 
| |{{nts|711,486}}
| |{{nts|813,675}}
| |{{nts|778,112}}
| |{{nts|821,838}}<ref>Including 12,350 [[Hongkongers]]</ref>
| |{{nts|873,286}}
| [[Chinese people in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{VIE}}
| |{{nts|6316}}
| |{{nts|16908}}
| |{{nts|28932}}
| |{{nts|41781}}
| |{{nts|44690}}
| |{{nts|52364}}
| |{{nts|99865}}
| |{{nts|146956}}
| |{{nts|232,562}}
| |{{nts|411,968}}
| |{{nts|448,053}}
| |{{nts|565,026}}
| |{{nts|634,361}}
| |[[Vietnamese people in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|KOR}} [[South Korea]]
| |{{nts|681838}}
| |{{nts|635269}}
| |{{nts|598687}}
| |{{nts|565989}}
| |{{nts|545401}}
| |{{nts|530046}}
| |{{nts|501230}}
| |{{nts|457772}}
| |{{nts|452,953}}
| |{{nts|446,364}}
| |{{nts|426,908}}
| |{{nts|410,156}}
| |{{nts|409,238}}
| [[Koreans in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{PHL}}
| |{{nts|38925}}
| |{{nts|144871}}
| |{{nts|187261}}
| |{{nts|210181}}
| |{{nts|209376}}
| |{{nts|209974}}
| |{{nts|217585}}
| |{{nts|229595}}
| |{{nts|251,934}}
| |{{nts|282,798}}
| |{{nts|279,660}}
| |{{nts|322,046}}
| |{{nts|341,518}}
| |[[Filipinos in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{BRA}}
| |{{nts|14258}}
| |{{nts|254394}}
| |{{nts|302080}}
| |{{nts|230552}}
| |{{nts|210032}}
| |{{nts|190581}}
| |{{nts|175410}}
| |{{nts|173437}}
| |{{nts|185,967}}
| |{{nts|211,677}}
| |{{nts|208,538}}
| |{{nts|211,840}}
| |{{nts|211,907}}
| [[Brazilians in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{NEP}}
| |{{nts|399}}
| |{{nts|3649}}
| |{{nts|6953}}
| |{{nts|17525}}
| |{{nts|20383}}
| |{{nts|24069}}
| |{{nts|42346}}
| |{{nts|54775}}
| |{{nts|74,300}}
| |{{nts|96,824}}
| |{{nts|95,982}}
| |{{nts|176,336}}
| |{{nts|233,043}}
| [[Nepalis in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{IDN}}
| |{{nts|2781}}
| |{{nts|19346}}
| |{{nts|25097}}
| |{{nts|24895}}
| |{{nts|24660}}
| |{{nts|25530}}
| |{{nts|30210}}
| |{{nts|35910}}
| |{{nts|46,350}}
| |{{nts|66,860}}
| |{{nts|66,832}}
| |{{nts|149,101}}
| |{{nts|199,824}}
| |[[Indonesians in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{MYA}}
| |{{nts|894}}
| |{{nts|4851}}
| |{{nts|5342}}
| |{{nts|8577}}
| |{{nts|8692}}
| |{{nts|8045}}
| |{{nts|10252}}
| |{{nts|13737}}
| |{{nts|20,346}}
| |{{nts|32,049}}
| |{{nts|35,049}} 
| |{{nts|86,546}}
| |{{nts|134,574}}
| |[[Burmese people in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{flagicon|ROC}} [[Taiwan]]
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|22773}}
| |{{nts|40197}}
| |{{nts|48723}}
| |{{nts|54,358}}
| |{{nts|64,773}}
| |{{nts|55,872}}
| |{{nts|64,663}}
| |{{nts|70,147}}
| |{{ill|Taiwanese people in Japan|jp|在日台湾人}}
|-
| border="1" |{{USA}}<ref>Excluding people from [[United States Forces Japan|US Forces]]</ref>
| |{{nts|34900}}
| |{{nts|44856}}
| |{{nts|49390}}
| |{{nts|50667}}
| |{{nts|49815}}
| |{{nts|48357}}
| |{{nts|51256}}
| |{{nts|52271}}
| |{{nts|54,918}}
| |{{nts|59,172}}
| |{{nts|55,761}}
| |{{nts|63,408}}
| |{{nts|66,111}}
| |[[Americans in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{THA}}
| |{{nts|5542}}
| |{{nts|29289}}
| |{{nts|37703}}
| |{{nts|41279}}
| |{{nts|42750}}
| |{{nts|40130}}
| |{{nts|43081}}
| |{{nts|45379}}
| |{{nts|48,952}}
| |{{nts|54,809}}
| |{{nts|53,379}}
| |{{nts|61,771}}
| |{{nts|65,398}}
| |[[Thais in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{PER}}
| |{{nts|4121}}
| |{{nts|46171}}
| |{{nts|57728}}
| |{{nts|54636}}
| |{{nts|52842}}
| |{{nts|49248}}
| |{{nts|47978}}
| |{{nts|47721}}
| |{{nts|47,861}}
| |{{nts|48,669}}
| |{{nts|48,256}}
| |{{nts|49,114}} 
| |{{nts|49,247}} 
| |[[Peruvian migration to Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{IND}}
| |{{nts|2926}}
| |{{nts|10064}}
| |{{nts|16988}}
| |{{nts|22497}}
| |{{nts|21501}}
| |{{nts|21653}}
| |{{nts|24524}}
| |{{nts|26244}}
| |{{nts|30,048}}
| |{{nts|40,202}}
| |{{nts|38,558}} 
| |{{nts|48,352}} 
| |{{nts|53,974}} 
| |[[Indians in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{LKA}}
| |{{nts|1064}}
| |{{nts|5655}}
| |{{nts|9013}}
| |{{nts|9097}}
| |{{nts|9303}}
| |{{nts|8427}}
| |{{nts|10741}}
| |{{nts|13152}}
| |{{nts|20,716}}
| |{{nts|27,367}}
| |{{nts|29,290}}
| |{{nts|46,949}}
| |{{nts|63,472}}
| [[Sri Lankans in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{BAN}}
| |{{nts|2205}}
| |{{nts|7176}}
| |{{nts|11015}}
| |{{nts|10175}}
| |{{nts|9413}}
| |{{nts|8622}}
| |{{nts|9641}}
| |{{nts|10835}}
| |{{nts|13,033}}
| |{{nts|16,632}}
| |{{nts|17,463}} 
| |{{nts|27,962}}
| |{{nts|35,073}}
| [[Bangladeshis in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{PAK}}
| |{{nts|1875}}
| |{{nts|7498}}
| |{{nts|8789}}
| |{{nts|10299}}
| |{{nts|10849}}
| |{{nts|10597}}
| |{{nts|11802}}
| |{{nts|12708}}
| |{{nts|14,312}}
| |{{nts|17,766}}
| |{{nts|19,103}} 
| |{{nts|25,334}}
| |{{nts|29,647}}
| [[Pakistanis in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{flagicon|North Korea}} [[North Korea]]
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|}}
| |{{nts|33939}}
| |{{nts|31,674}}
| |{{nts|28,096}}
| |{{nts|27,214}} 
| |{{nts|24,305}}
| |{{nts|23,206}}
| |[[Koreans in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{CAM}}
| |{{nts|1148}}
| |{{nts|1761}}
| |{{nts|2263}}
| |{{nts|2683}}
| |{{nts|2770}}
| |{{nts|2862}}
| |{{nts|4090}}
| |{{nts|6111}}
| |{{nts|9,598}}
| |{{nts|15,020}}
| |{{nts|16,659}}
| |{{nts|23,750}}
| |{{nts|26,827}}
| |[[Cambodians in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{UK}}
| |{{nts|9272}}
| |{{nts|16525}}
| |{{nts|17494}}
| |{{nts|16044}}
| |{{nts|15496}}
| |{{nts|14652}}
| |{{nts|15262}}
| |{{nts|15826}}
| |{{nts|16,498}}
| |{{nts|18,631}}
| |{{nts|16,891}} 
| |{{nts|19,909}}
| |{{nts|21,139}}
| [[Britons in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{MNG}}
| |{{nts|23}}
| |{{nts|1209}}
| |{{nts|3762}}
| |{{nts|4949}}
| |{{nts|4774}}
| |{{nts|4837}}
| |{{nts|5796}}
| |{{nts|6590}}
| |{{nts|8,364}}
| |{{nts|12,797}}
| |{{nts|13,504}} 
| |{{nts|19,490}}
| |{{nts|21,240}}
| |[[Mongolians in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{FRA}}
| |{{nts|2881}}
| |{{nts|5371}}
| |{{nts|7337}}
| |{{nts|9060}}
| |{{nts|8423}}
| |{{nts|8455}}
| |{{nts|9641}}
| |{{nts|10672}}
| |{{nts|12,273}}
| |{{nts|14,106}}
| {{nts|12,264}} 
| |{{nts|15,153}}
| |
| |[[French people in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{AUS}}
| |{{nts|3073}}
| |{{nts|9188}}
| |{{nts|11277}}
| |{{nts|9756}}
| |{{nts|9166}}
| |{{nts|8888}}
| |{{nts|9350}}
| |{{nts|9843}}
| |{{nts|9,981}}
| |{{nts|12,024}}
| {{nts|9,758}}
| |{{nts|12,121}}
| |
| |[[Australians in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{CAN}}
| |{{nts|4172}}
| |{{nts|10088}}
| |{{nts|12022}}
| |{{nts|9995}}
| |{{nts|9484}}
| |{{nts|9006}}
| |{{nts|9286}}
| |{{nts|9538}}
| |{{nts|10,085}}
| |{{nts|11,118}}
| {{nts|10,103}}
| {{nts|11,670}}
| |
| |[[Canadians in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{RUS}}
| |{{nts|340}}<ref>Soviet Union</ref>
| |{{nts|4893}}
| |{{nts|7110}}
| |{{nts|7814}}
| |{{nts|7566}}
| |{{nts|7295}}
| |{{nts|7859}}
| |{{nts|8092}}
| |{{nts|8,500}}
| |{{nts|9,378}}
| {{nts|9,249}} 
| |{{nts|11,634}}
| |
| |[[Russians in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{MYS}}
| |{{nts|4309}}
| |{{nts|8386}}
| |{{nts|7910}}
| |{{nts|8364}}
| |{{nts|8136}}
| |{{nts|7848}}
| |{{nts|8288}}
| |{{nts|8738}}
| |{{nts|9,394}}
| |{{nts|10,862}}
| |{{nts|10,318}}
| {{nts|11,471}}
| |
| |
|-
|border = "1"|{{GER}}
| |{{nts|3410}}
| |{{nts|4295}}
| |{{nts|5356}}
| |{{nts|5971}}
| |{{nts|5303}}
| |{{nts|5223}}
| |{{nts|5864}}
| |{{nts|6336}}
| |{{nts|6,755}}
| |{{nts|7,782}}
| {{nts|6,114}} 
| |{{nts|8,352}}
| |
| 
|-
| border="1" |{{UZB}}
| |{{nts|113}}
| |{{nts|184}}
| |{{nts|495}}
| |{{nts|832}}
| |{{nts|840}}
| |{{nts|938}}
| |{{nts|1,329}}
| |{{nts|1,503}}
| |{{nts|2,269}}
| |{{nts|3,627}}
| |{{nts|3,632}}
| |{{nts|6,592}}
| |
| |[[Uzbeks in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{BOL}}
| |{{nts|238}}
| |{{nts|3915}}
| |{{nts|6139}}
| |{{nts|5720}}
| |{{nts|5567}}
| |{{nts|5283}}
| |{{nts|5333}}
| |{{nts|5412}}
| |{{nts|5,657}}
| |{{nts|6,096}}
| |{{nts|6,119}}
| |{{nts|6,559}}
| |
| 
|-
|border = "1"|{{TUR}}<ref>Including +2,000 [[Kurds in Japan|Kurds]]</ref>
| |{{nts|190}}
| |{{nts|1424}}
| |{{nts|2275}}
| |{{nts|2547}}
| |{{nts|2613}}
| |{{nts|2528}}
| |{{nts|3654}}
| |{{nts|4157}}
| |{{nts|5,167}}
| |{{nts|5,419}}
| {{nts|6,212}}
| |{{nts|6,464}}
| |
| [[Turks in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{AFG}}
| |{{nts|128}}
| |{{nts|430}}
| |{{nts|593}}
| |{{nts|1148}}
| |{{nts|1355}}
| |{{nts|1609}}
| |{{nts|2154}}
| |{{nts|2639}}
| |{{nts|2,873}}
| |{{nts|3,350}}
| {{nts|3,509}}
| |{{nts|5,892}}
| |
| |
|-
|border = "1"|{{ITA}}
| |{{nts|890}}
| |{{nts|1579}}
| |{{nts|2083}}
| |{{nts|2731}}
| |{{nts|2642}}
| |{{nts|2629}}
| |{{nts|3267}}
| |{{nts|3536}}
| |{{nts|4,019}}
| |{{nts|4,702}}
| |{{nts|4,263}}
| |{{nts|5,243}}
| |
| |[[Italians in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{IRN}}
| |{{nts|988}}
| |{{nts|6167}}
| |{{nts|5227}}
| |{{nts|4841}}
| |{{nts|4725}}
| |{{nts|3996}}
| |{{nts|3976}}
| |{{nts|3996}}
| |{{nts|3,988}}
| |{{nts|4,170}}
| {{nts|4,121}} 
| |{{nts|4,313}}
| |
| |[[Iranians in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{UKR}}
| |{{nts|892}}
| |{{nts|1004}}
| |{{nts|1784}}
| |{{nts|1507}}
| |{{nts|1479}}
| |{{nts|1452}}
| |{{nts|1601}}
| |{{nts|1699}}
| |{{nts|1,831}}
| {{nts|1,940}} 
| |{{nts|1,865}}
| |{{nts|4,202}}
| |
| |
|-
| border="1" |{{NGA}}
| |{{nts|140}}
| |{{nts|1741}}
| |{{nts|2389}}
| |{{nts|2729}}
| |{{nts|2730}}
| |{{nts|2377}}
| |{{nts|2518}}
| |{{nts|2638}}
| |{{nts|2,845}}
| |{{nts|3,201}}
| {{nts|3,315}} 
| |{{nts|3,954}}
| |
| |[[Nigerians in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{ESP}}
| |{{nts|827}}
| |{{nts|1338}}
| |{{nts|1585}}
| |{{nts|1907}}
| |{{nts|1883}}
| |{{nts|1822}}
| |{{nts|2309}}
| |{{nts|2495}}
| |{{nts|2,852}}
| |{{nts|3,620}}
| {{nts|3,240}} 
| {{nts|3,902}}
| |
| 
|-
| border="1" |{{LAO}}
| |{{nts|864}}
| |{{nts|1677}}
| |{{nts|2393}}
| |{{nts|2639}}
| |{{nts|2584}}
| |{{nts|2521}}
| |{{nts|2556}}
| |{{nts|2592}}
| |{{nts|2,730}}
| |{{nts|2,965}}
| {{nts|2,903}}
| {{nts|3,859}}
| |
| 
|-
| border="1" |{{NZL}}
| |{{nts|967}}
| |{{nts|3264}}
| |{{nts|3824}}
| |{{nts|3250}}
| |{{nts|3146}}
| |{{nts|3109}}
| |{{nts|3119}}
| |{{nts|3152}}
| |{{nts|3,217}}
| |{{nts|3,672}}
| {{nts|3,280}}
| |{{nts|3,844}}
| |
| |[[New Zealanders in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{MEX}}
| |{{nts|691}}
| |{{nts|1740}}
| |{{nts|1825}}
| |{{nts|1956}}
| |{{nts|1909}}
| |{{nts|1935}}
| |{{nts|2033}}
| |{{nts|2141}}
| |{{nts|2,393}}
| |{{nts|2,889}}
| {{nts|2,714}}
| {{nts|3,504}}
| |
| |[[Mexicans in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{SGP}}
| |{{nts|1042}}
| |{{nts|1940}}
| |{{nts|2283}}
| |{{nts|2512}}
| |{{nts|2440}}
| |{{nts|2135}}
| |{{nts|2366}}
| |{{nts|2501}}
| |{{nts|2,763}}
| |{{nts|3,164}}
| {{nts|2,958}}
| |{{nts|3,498}}
| |
| 
|-
| border="1" |{{ARG}}
| |{{nts|1704}}
| |{{nts|3072}}
| |{{nts|3834}}
| |{{nts|3181}}
| |{{nts|2970}}
| |{{nts|2722}}
| |{{nts|2651}}
| |{{nts|2630}}
| |{{nts|2,710}}
| |{{nts|3,077}}
| {{nts|2,966}}
| |{{nts|3,350}}
| |
| 
|-
|border = "1"|{{GHA}}
| |{{nts|518}}
| |{{nts|1657}}
| |{{nts|1824}}
| |{{nts|1883}}
| |{{nts|1729}}
| |{{nts|1915}}
| |{{nts|2005}}
| |{{nts|2,235}}
| |{{nts|2,404}}
| {{nts|2,506}} 
| |{{nts|2,005}}
| {{nts|2,857}}
| |
| [[Ghanaians in Japan]]
|-
|border = "1"|{{COL}}
| |{{nts|373}}
| |{{nts|2496}}
| |{{nts|2902}}
| |{{nts|2606}}
| |{{nts|2505}}
| |{{nts|2253}}
| |{{nts|2244}}
| |{{nts|2268}}
| |{{nts|2,366}}
| |{{nts|2,509}}
| {{nts|2,482}}
| |{{nts|2,723}}
| |
| 
|-
| border="1" |{{ROM}}
| |{{nts|42}}
| |{{nts|2449}}
| |{{nts|3574}}
| |{{nts|2409}}
| |{{nts|2281}}
| |{{nts|2185}}
| |{{nts|2245}}
| |{{nts|2,408}}
| |{{nts|2,367}}
| {{nts|2,332}} 
| |{{nts|2,250}}
| |{{nts|2,384}}
| |
| |
|-
|border = "1"|{{EGY}}
| |{{nts|344}}
| |{{nts|1103}}
| |{{nts|1366}}
| |{{nts|1593}}
| |{{nts|1382}}
| |{{nts|1309}}
| |{{nts|1665}}
| |{{nts|2005}}
| |{{nts|1,850}}
| |{{nts|2,239}}
| {{nts|2,027}} 
| |{{nts|2,273}}
| |
| 
|-
| border="1" |{{PAR}}
| |{{nts|672}}
| |{{nts|1678}}
| |{{nts|2287}}
| |{{nts|2098}}
| |{{nts|1984}}
| |{{nts|1878}}
| |{{nts|1841}}
| |{{nts|1880}}
| |{{nts|2,040}}
| {{nts|2,188}} 
| |{{nts|2,131}}
| |{{nts|2,239}}
| |
| |
|-
| border="1" |{{SWE}}
| |{{nts|586}}
| |{{nts|1158}}
| |{{nts|1136}}
| |{{nts|1553}}
| |{{nts|1579}}
| |{{nts|1677}}
| |{{nts|1874}}
| |{{nts|1805}}
| |{{nts|1,736}}
| {{nts|1,754}} 
| |{{nts|1,514}}
| |{{nts|1,871}}
| |
| |[[Swedes in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{NED}}
| |{{nts|749}}
| |{{nts|904}}
| |{{nts|1079}}
| |{{nts|1099}}
| |{{nts|1097}}
| |{{nts|917}}
| |{{nts|1044}}
| |{{nts|1129}}
| |{{nts|1,351}}
| {{nts|1,595}} 
| |{{nts|1,294}}
| |{{nts|1,805}}
| |
| |
|-
| border="1" |{{POL}}
| |{{nts|359}}
| |{{nts|742}}
| |{{nts|870}}
| |{{nts|978}}
| |{{nts|951}}
| |{{nts|1007}}
| |{{nts|1110}}
| |{{nts|1653}}
| |{{nts|1,434}}
| {{nts|1,605}} 
| |{{nts|1,408}}
| |{{nts|1,766}}
| |
| |[[Poles in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{RSA}}
| |{{nts|108}}
| |{{nts|353}}
| |{{nts|564}}
| |{{nts|570}}
| |{{nts|553}}
| |{{nts|542}}
| |{{nts|613}}
| |{{nts|691}}
| |{{nts|873}}
| |{{nts|1,035}} 
| |{{nts|1,020}}
| |{{nts|1,419}}
| |
| |
|-
| border="1" |{{SWI}}
| |{{nts|980}}
| |{{nts|907}}
| |{{nts|971}}
| |{{nts|1089}}
| |{{nts|1011}}
| |{{nts|937}}
| |{{nts|986}}
| |{{nts|1023}}
| |{{nts|1,139}}
| {{nts|1,189}} 
| |{{nts|1,076}}
| |{{nts|1,343}}
| |
| |
|-
| border="1" |{{IRE}}
| |{{nts|671}}
| |{{nts|974}}
| |{{nts|1094}}
| |{{nts|1061}}
| |{{nts|1065}}
| |{{nts|1072}}
| |{{nts|998}}
| |{{nts|1026}}
| |{{nts|1,142}}
| {{nts|1,290}} 
| |{{nts|1,128}}
| |{{nts|1,313}}
| |
| |[[Irish people in Japan]]
|-
| border="1" |{{CMR}}
| |{{nts|6}}
| |{{nts|100}}
| |{{nts|214}}
| |{{nts|343}}
| |{{nts|365}}
| |{{nts|328}}
| |{{nts|454}}
| |{{nts|473}}
| |{{nts|627}}
| |{{nts|857}}
| |{{nts|1,059}}
| |{{nts|1,254}}
| |
| |
|-
| border="1" |{{CHL}}
| |{{nts|263}}
| |{{nts|652}}
| |{{nts|712}}
| |{{nts|680}}
| |{{nts|657}}
| |{{nts|607}}
| |{{nts|625}}
| |{{nts|639}}
| |{{nts|691}}
| {{nts|940}} 
| |{{nts|886}}
| |{{nts|1,179}}
| |
| |
|-
| border="1" |{{KEN}}
| |{{nts|118}}
| |{{nts|328}}
| |{{nts|467}}
| |{{nts|546}}
| |{{nts|542}}
| |{{nts|503}}
| |{{nts|609}}
| |{{nts|695}}
| |{{nts|778}}
| {{nts|789}} 
| |{{nts|803}}
| |{{nts|1,043}}
| |
| |
|-
|border = "1" style="background:#9DBEC3;" |'''Total foreign residents'''
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|984455}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|1686444}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2011555}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2134151}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2078508}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2033656}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2121831}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2232189}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2471458}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2,933,137}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|2,887,116}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|3,410,992}}
| style="text-align:right; background:#9dbec3;" |{{nts|3,768,977}}
|}

==== Foreign residents as of 2015 ====
There was an increase of 110,358 foreign residents from 2014 to 2015. [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] made the largest proportion of these new foreign residents, whilst [[Nepali people|Nepalese]], [[Filipino people|Filipino]], [[Chinese people|Chinese]] and [[Taiwanese people|Taiwanese]] are also significant in numbers. Together these countries makes up 91,126 or 82.6% of all new residents from 2014 to 2015. However, the majority of these immigrants will only remain in Japan for a maximum of five years, as many of them have entered the country in order to complete trainee programmes. Once they complete their programmes, they will be required to return to their home countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/Xlsdl.do?sinfid=000031399575 |title=第１表 国籍・地域別 在留資格（在留目的）別 在留外国人 |publisher=E-stat.go.jp |access-date=2017-04-17 |archive-date=2016-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822140158/http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/Xlsdl.do?sinfid=000031399575 |url-status=live }}</ref>

As of December 2014 there were 2,121,831 foreigners residing in Japan, 677,019 of whom were long-term residents in Japan, according to national demographics figures. The majority of long-term residents were from Asia, totalling 478,953. Chinese made up the largest portion of them with 215,155, followed by Filipinos with 115,857, and Koreans with 65,711. Thai, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese long-term residents totaled 47,956, and those from other Asian countries totaled 34,274. The Korean figures do not include [[zainichi]] Koreans with ''tokubetsu eijusha'' ("special permanent resident") visas, of whom there were 354,503 (of a total of 358,409 of all nationalities with such visas). The total number of permanent residents had declined over the previous five years due to high cost of living.<ref name="stat.go">{{cite web|url=http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/List.do?lid=000001133760|trans-title=General counter of statistical tables list government statistics|title=統計表一覧 政府統計の総合窓口|access-date=2015-12-26|date=2015-04-24|language=ja|archive-date=2016-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101042749/http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/List.do?lid=000001133760|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Foreign residents as of 2021 ====
The number of foreign residents of Japan reached a high of 2.93 million in 2019 before falling to 2.76 million at the end of 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001370057.pdf|publisher=Immigration Services Agency of Japan|title=令和３年末現在における在留外国人数について|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=24 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824104344/https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001370057.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The number of foreign workers was 1.46 million in 2018, 29.7% are in the manufacturing sector; 389,000 are from Vietnam and 316,000 are from China.<ref>{{cite web|title=Japan immigration hits record high as foreign talent fills gaps|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Japan-immigration/Japan-immigration-hits-record-high-as-foreign-talent-fills-gaps|website= Nikkei Asian Review |access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701222627/https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Japan-immigration/Japan-immigration-hits-record-high-as-foreign-talent-fills-gaps|archive-date=1 July 2019}}</ref>

On April 1, 2019, Japan's revised immigration law was enacted. The revision clarifies and better protects the rights of foreign workers. Japan formally accepts foreign blue-collar workers. This helps reduce labour shortage in certain sectors of the economy. The reform changes the status of foreign workers to regular employees and they can obtain permanent residence status. The reform includes a new visa status called {{Nihongo|''tokutei gino''|特定技能|"designated skills"|}}. In order to qualify, applicants must pass a language and skills test (level N4 or higher of the [[Japanese-Language Proficiency Test]]). In the old "Technical Trainee programme" a foreign employee was tied to their employer. This caused numerous cases of exploitation. The revision gives foreign workers more freedom to leave and change their employer.<ref>{{cite web |title=New immigration rules to stir up Japan's regional rentals scene — if they work |work=REthink Tokyo - Real Estate Information for Buyers and Investors |url=https://www.rethinktokyo.com/2019/03/27/new-immigration-visa-rules-japan-foreign-workers |publisher= REthink Tokyo |date=27 March 2019|access-date=2 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702124120/https://www.rethinktokyo.com/2019/03/27/new-immigration-visa-rules-japan-foreign-workers |archive-date=2 July 2019 |author1=Adriana }}</ref><gallery mode="packed" caption="Japanese nationality data mapped in prefectures in 2020">
File:Percentage of Japan who is of Japanese nationality.svg|Japanese nationality (96.3% total)
File:Percentage of Japan who is of Foreign nationality in 2020.svg|Foreign nationality (1.9% total){{refn|The proportion of foreign nationals is most likely higher due to those that did not declare a nationality. The Statistics of Foreign Residents estimated that there was a total of 2,887,116 (2.3% of the total population) foreign nationals in December 2020, while in the 2020 census carried out in October enumerated 2,402,460 foreign nationals.|group="t"}}
File:Percentage of Japan who had No nationality stated in 2020.svg|No nationality stated (1.7% total)
</gallery>
<references group="t" />