More than 197 nationalities/regions are represented. These ten alone account for the vast majority of foreign residents — from established Korean and Chinese communities to fast-growing groups from Vietnam and Nepal.
Foreign residents by nationality/region, 2006–2025 · South Korea shown from 2015 (earlier data combined North & South)
Visa types over time
Foreign residents by status of residence, 2006–2025
Gender split
Of the 4.13 million foreign residents, how the population divides by gender — and by status of residence within each.
Gender split
December 2025 · by status of residence
Male
2,110,599 | 51.2%
Female
2,014,735 | 48.8%
Permanent Resident564,260 28.0%
Family Stay223,328 11.1%
Student210,321 10.4%
Spec. Skilled Worker179,564 8.9%
Engineer / Humanities159,479 7.9%
Sp. Perm. Resident135,567 6.7%
Long-term Resident121,279 6.0%
Tech. Intern Trainee 2110,484 5.5%
Other310,453 15.4%
Permanent Resident382,864 18.1%
Engineer / Humanities316,304 15.0%
Student254,440 12.1%
Spec. Skilled Worker210,732 10.0%
Tech. Intern Trainee 2159,790 7.6%
Sp. Perm. Resident131,329 6.2%
Family Stay129,544 6.1%
Long-term Resident105,157 5.0%
Other420,439 19.9%
Significant changes
Japan's foreign-resident population has grown +73% in the past decade (2016–2025) and nearly doubled — +98% — over 20 years, from 2.08 million in 2006 to 4.13 million in December 2025. The biggest gains and the rare declines, side by side — by nationality and by visa type.
An interactive map of where foreign residents live across Japan. Hover or click a region to see prefecture-level breakdowns and the visa types that dominate each area.
By region - heat map
Hover or click a region to see its breakdown.
FewerMore
Selected region
Kanto
47.1%
of all foreign residents in Japan
Prefectures
Tokyo
41.7%
Kanagawa
16.5%
Saitama
14.9%
Chiba
13.3%
Ibaraki
5.7%
Gunma
4.7%
Tochigi
3.2%
Highest and Lowest Prefectures
2025 share of all foreign residents in Japan
Top 10
Tokyo
Kanto
19.63%
Osaka
Kansai
9.12%
Aichi
Chubu
8.76%
Kanagawa
Kanto
7.76%
Saitama
Kanto
7.02%
Chiba
Kanto
6.27%
Hyogo
Kansai
3.76%
Shizuoka
Chubu
3.25%
Fukuoka
Kyushu
3.02%
Ibaraki
Kanto
2.70%
Bottom 10
Akita
Tohoku
0.15%
Tottori
Chugoku
0.16%
Kochi
Shikoku
0.18%
Aomori
Tohoku
0.23%
Tokushima
Shikoku
0.23%
Wakayama
Kansai
0.27%
Yamagata
Tohoku
0.27%
Shimane
Chugoku
0.30%
Iwate
Tohoku
0.30%
Saga
Kyushu
0.30%
Prefecture Growth, 2015 to 2025
All 47 prefectures saw their foreign-resident population grow — these are the fastest and slowest growers
Fastest growth
Kumamoto
Kyushu
+186.3%
Kagoshima
Kyushu
+177.4%
Hokkaido
Hokkaido
+171.0%
Miyazaki
Kyushu
+163.1%
Saga
Kyushu
+159.6%
Slowest growth
Nagasaki
Kyushu
+49.3%
Hyogo
Kansai
+50.6%
Nagano
Chubu
+53.5%
Yamaguchi
Chugoku
+57.6%
Tottori
Chugoku
+59.3%
Municipalities
Foreign residents by municipality · December 2025 · % = share of the municipality’s population (2025 Census) · badge = change since 2006
1Kawaguchi, Saitama9.2% of city人口の9.2%54,460+233%
2Edogawa, Tokyo7.7% of city人口の7.7%54,084+164%
3Shinjuku, Tokyo14.5% of city人口の14.5%52,437+82%
4Adachi, Tokyo7.0% of city人口の7.0%48,997+133%
5Koto, Tokyo7.7% of city人口の7.7%42,655+163%
6Itabashi, Tokyo7.0% of city人口の7.0%41,810+173%
7Toshima, Tokyo12.8% of city人口の12.8%39,136+149%
8Kita, Tokyo9.7% of city人口の9.7%35,845+164%
9Ota, Tokyo4.7% of city人口の4.7%35,391+114%
10Katsushika, Tokyo7.1% of city人口の7.1%33,047+169%
11Setagaya, Tokyo3.3% of city人口の3.3%31,734+119%
12Ikuno, Osaka24.6% of city人口の24.6%31,642-4%
13Nerima, Tokyo4.0% of city人口の4.0%30,174+144%
14Nakano, Tokyo7.8% of city人口の7.8%27,556+169%
15Matsudo, Chiba5.5% of city人口の5.5%27,104+178%
16Chuo, Hamamatsu4.6% of city人口の4.6%27,057new
17Funabashi, Chiba4.1% of city人口の4.1%26,772+178%
18Arakawa, Tokyo11.5% of city人口の11.5%26,021+97%
19Suginami, Tokyo4.3% of city人口の4.3%25,763+151%
20Higashiosaka, Osaka5.3% of city人口の5.3%25,342+34%
1Aogashima, Tokyo0.00% of city人口の0.00%0
2Nishimeya, Aomori0.00% of city人口の0.00%0
3Kamoenai, Hokkaido0.12% of city人口の0.12%1
4Otoineppu, Hokkaido0.17% of city人口の0.17%1
5Hinoemata, Fukushima0.21% of city人口の0.21%1
Fewest foreign residents · December 2025 · just 2 of Japan’s 1,892 municipalities have zero foreign residents: the remote island village of Aogashima, Tokyo and Nishimeya, deep in Aomori’s Shirakami mountains
Largest foreign share of the municipality’s population · 2025 Census · towns under 1,000 people excluded · resort villages (Akaigawa, Shimukappu, Hakuba…) peak in winter — the 31 December count includes seasonal ski-season staff
1Akaigawa, Hokkaido569 residents569人53.3%
2Shimukappu, Hokkaido569 residents569人38.3%
3Kutchan, Hokkaido4,354 residents4,354人29.5%
4Hakuba, Nagano2,256 residents2,256人26.9%
5Rusutsu, Hokkaido472 residents472人25.1%
6Ikuno, Osaka31,642 residents31,642人24.6%
7Niseko, Hokkaido1,235 residents1,235人23.0%
8Oizumi, Gunma9,340 residents9,340人22.5%
9Nozawaonsen, Nagano551 residents551人18.9%
10Naniwa, Osaka14,670 residents14,670人16.8%
11Nishinari, Osaka17,409 residents17,409人16.5%
12Otari, Nagano392 residents392人16.2%
13Warabi, Saitama11,094 residents11,094人14.7%
14Shinjuku, Tokyo52,437 residents52,437人14.5%
15Kisosaki, Mie804 residents804人14.1%
16Hakone, Kanagawa1,402 residents1,402人13.6%
17Onna, Okinawa1,513 residents1,513人13.5%
18Naka, Yokohama20,254 residents20,254人13.1%
19Joso, Ibaraki7,431 residents7,431人12.8%
20Tobishima, Aichi564 residents564人12.8%
Smallest foreign share of the municipality’s population · 2025 Census · towns under 1,000 people excluded · bars on the same scale as Highest Share
1Ikawa, Akita2 residents2人0.05%
2Owani, Aomori6 residents6人0.08%
3Aka, Fukuoka3 residents3人0.12%
4Sai, Aomori2 residents2人0.14%
5Gojome, Akita10 residents10人0.14%
6Kazamaura, Aomori2 residents2人0.14%
7Inakadate, Aomori10 residents10人0.15%
8Morotsuka, Miyazaki2 residents2人0.16%
9Kudoyama, Wakayama7 residents7人0.20%
10Kuma, Kumamoto5 residents5人0.22%
11Yomogita, Aomori5 residents5人0.22%
12Fujisaki, Aomori34 residents34人0.24%
13Hinokage, Miyazaki8 residents8人0.26%
14Imabetsu, Aomori5 residents5人0.26%
15Himeshima, Oita4 residents4人0.27%
16Yamae, Kumamoto8 residents8人0.27%
17Rishirifuji, Hokkaido6 residents6人0.28%
18Hachirogata, Akita14 residents14人0.28%
19Tsuruta, Aomori31 residents31人0.29%
20Kijo, Miyazaki13 residents13人0.29%
10 fastest-growing cities, 2006–2025 · grey = today’s 5 largest, for reference · hover or tap a line
Age & gender
Foreign residents skew young: the 20-29 age band alone accounts for over a third of all foreigners — a clear signal of who is moving to Japan, and why.
Each country/region tells a different story. Pick one to dive into a dedicated page with that community's history in Japan, residence patterns, and how things have shifted over time.