TOKYO – The number of legal foreign residents in Japan has topped 3.95 million, a new record, government data showed on Oct 10, as the country accepts more foreign workers in the face of a severe labour shortage.
According to the Immigration Services Agency, 3,956,619 foreign nationals resided in Japan as of the end of June, up 5.0 per cent, or 187,000, from the end of 2024, with the number of those on the specified skilled workers visa introduced in 2019 surging by 18.2 per cent, or about 51,000.
By residential status, permanent residents comprised the largest group at 932,090, up 1.5 per cent, followed by a visa category for engineers, specialists in humanities and international services, including interpreters, which rose 9.4 per cent to 458,109.
They were followed by trainees under Japan’s much-criticised Technical Intern Training Programme at 449,432, down 1.6 per cent, ahead of the programme’s scheduled abolition in April 2027.
Specified skilled workers ranked fifth in number, totalling 336,196. Among them, 3,073 held the No. 2 category of the visa, which requires advanced skills and offers a pathway to permanent residency, a sharp increase from 832 at the end of 2024, the data showed.
The majority of foreign residents were from China, Vietnam, and South Korea, in that order, while the number of those from Myanmar rose 19.2 per cent and from Nepal by 17.2 per cent compared with the end of 2024, with both countries ranking among the top 10.
The number of foreigners entering Japan topped 21.3 million in the first half of 2025, and at the current pace, the total could reach a record-breaking 40 million, the agency said. KYODO
JapanLabour shortageImmigration lawsPopulation/Demographics
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