Migration Statistics Japan
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Singaporeansin Japan

Total residents (2025)
4,007
Total Population of Singapore: ~6.11 million
Growth (past 10 years)
+60.2%
2,501 in 2015 to 4,007 in 2025

Top visa types (2025)

Permanent resident
1,316
Engineer / Humanities
758
Student
456
Spouse of Japanese
441
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The Average Singaporean Migrant

Male profile

The average Singaporean male in Japan is a permanent resident in his early thirties, living in Tokyo.

Modal age30–34
Top visaPermanent resident (23.8%)
2nd visaEngineer / Humanities (22.7%)
Population1,748 (43.6%)
Female profile

The average Singaporean female in Japan is a permanent resident in her early thirties, living in Tokyo.

Modal age30–34
Top visaPermanent resident (39.8%)
2nd visaEngineer / Humanities (16.0%)
Population2,259 (56.4%)

Population over time

Total Singaporean residents

Annual figures, 1969-2025 - hover the line for details
01,0002,0003,0004,0005,0001969198019902000201020202025
03507001,0501,40019901995200020052010201520202025
Permanent residentEngineer / Humanities / Int'l servicesStudentSpouse of JapaneseFamily stay / DependentOthers

Visa Types

What do these visa types mean? →

Status of residence (2025)

Current snapshot
0 500 1,000 1,500 Permanent resident Permanent resident: 1,316 1,316 Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 758 758 Student Student: 456 456 Spouse of Japanese Spouse of Japanese: 441 441 Family stay / Dependent Family stay / Dependent: 327 327 High-skilled professional High-skilled professional: 126 126 Business manager Business manager: 104 104 Intra-company transferee Intra-company transferee: 101 101 Instructor Instructor: 95 95 Religion Religion: 84 84 Designated activities Designated activities: 67 67 Long-term resident Long-term resident: 45 45
0 500 1,000 1,500 Permanent resident Permanent resident 2015: 867 Permanent resident 2025: 1,316 867 1,316 (2025) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services 2015: 449 Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services 2025: 758 449 758 (2025) Student Student 2015: 351 Student 2025: 456 351 456 (2025) Spouse of Japanese Spouse of Japanese 2015: 272 Spouse of Japanese 2025: 441 272 441 (2025) Family stay / Dependent Family stay / Dependent 2015: 201 Family stay / Dependent 2025: 327 201 327 (2025) High-skilled professional High-skilled professional 2015: 8 High-skilled professional 2025: 126 8 126 (2025) Business manager Business manager 2015: 35 Business manager 2025: 104 35 104 (2025) Intra-company transferee Intra-company transferee 2015: 116 116 101 (2025) Instructor Instructor 2015: 59 Instructor 2025: 95 59 95 (2025) Religion Religion 2015: 30 Religion 2025: 84 30 84 (2025)
Where Singapore is heavier than rest of world Where Singapore is lighter (or absent) Permanent resident Singaporean: 32.8% 32.8% Rest of world: 22.9% 22.9% Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services Singaporean: 18.9% 18.9% Rest of world: 11.5% 11.5% Student Singaporean: 11.4% 11.4% Rest of world: 11.3% 11.3% Spouse of Japanese Singaporean: 11.0% 11.0% Rest of world: 3.7% 3.7% High-skilled professional Singaporean: 3.1% 3.1% Rest of world: 0.8% 0.8% Business manager Singaporean: 2.6% 2.6% Rest of world: 1.1% 1.1% Intra-company transferee Singaporean: 2.5% 2.5% Rest of world: 0.5% 0.5% Instructor Singaporean: 2.4% 2.4% Rest of world: 0.4% 0.4% Religion Singaporean: 2.1% 2.1% Rest of world: 0.1% 0.1% Professor Singaporean: 0.5% 0.5% Rest of world: 0.2% 0.2% Cultural activities Singaporean: 0.4% 0.4% Rest of world: 0.1% 0.1% Specified Skilled Worker Singaporean: 0.1% 0.1% Rest of world: 9.5% 9.5% Special Permanent resident Singaporean: 0.2% 0.2% Rest of world: 6.5% 6.5% Long-term resident Singaporean: 1.1% 1.1% Rest of world: 5.5% 5.5% Designated activities Singaporean: 1.7% 1.7% Rest of world: 3.0% 3.0% Skilled labour Singaporean: 0.2% 0.2% Rest of world: 1.3% 1.3% Spouse of PR Singaporean: 0.6% 0.6% Rest of world: 1.4% 1.4% Family stay / Dependent Singaporean: 8.2% 8.2% Rest of world: 8.6% 8.6%

Demographics

Age distribution

All Singaporean residents - five-year age brackets, December 2025
0 200 400 600 0–4: 70 70 0–4 5–9: 68 68 5–9 10–14: 60 60 10–14 15–19: 73 73 15–19 20–24: 260 260 20–24 25–29: 439 439 25–29 30–34: 574 574 30–34 35–39: 539 539 35–39 40–44: 358 358 40–44 45–49: 318 318 45–49 50–54: 316 316 50–54 55–59: 287 287 55–59 60–64: 254 254 60–64 65–69: 203 203 65–69 70–74: 130 130 70–74 75–79: 40 40 75–79 80+: 18 18 80+
MALE 男性 FEMALE 女性 0–4 35 35 5–9 28 40 10–14 35 25 15–19 25 48 20–24 122 138 25–29 206 233 30–34 289 285 35–39 273 266 40–44 169 189 45–49 162 156 50–54 148 168 55–59 92 195 60–64 80 174 65–69 47 156 70–74 19 111 75–79 8 32 80+ 10 8

Gender split

December 2025
Female: 2,259 (56.4%)Male: 1,748 (43.6%)Total4,007
Female
2,259  |  56.4%
Male
1,748  |  43.6%
Permanent resident: 900 (39.8%) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 362 (16.0%) Spouse of Japanese: 255 (11.3%) Student: 209 (9.3%) Family stay / Dependent: 205 (9.1%) Instructor: 56 (2.5%) High-skilled professional: 50 (2.2%) Religion: 47 (2.1%) Intra-company transferee: 44 (1.9%) Business manager: 32 (1.4%) Long-term resident: 30 (1.3%) Designated activities: 28 (1.2%) Spouse of PR: 16 (0.7%) Other: 25 (1.1%) Total female 2,259
2,259 female Singaporean residents — by status of residence
Permanent resident900
Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services362
Spouse of Japanese255
Student209
Family stay / Dependent205
Instructor56
High-skilled professional50
Religion47
Intra-company transferee44
Business manager32
Long-term resident30
Designated activities28
Spouse of PR16
Other25
Permanent resident: 416 (23.8%) Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services: 396 (22.7%) Student: 247 (14.1%) Spouse of Japanese: 186 (10.6%) Family stay / Dependent: 122 (7.0%) High-skilled professional: 76 (4.3%) Business manager: 72 (4.1%) Intra-company transferee: 57 (3.3%) Instructor: 39 (2.2%) Designated activities: 39 (2.2%) Religion: 37 (2.1%) Long-term resident: 15 (0.9%) Cultural activities: 11 (0.6%) Other: 35 (2.0%) Total male 1,748
1,748 male Singaporean residents — by status of residence
Permanent resident416
Engineer / Humanities / Int'l services396
Student247
Spouse of Japanese186
Family stay / Dependent122
High-skilled professional76
Business manager72
Intra-company transferee57
Instructor39
Designated activities39
Religion37
Long-term resident15
Cultural activities11
Other35
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 2010 2015 2020 2025 Female 2,259 Male 1,748

Where they live (2025)

By region - heat map

Hover or click a region to see its breakdown.
Hokkaido Hokkaido 106 106 Tohoku Tohoku 71 71 Kanto Kanto 2,621 2,621 Chubu Chubu 271 271 Kansai Kansai 590 590 Chugoku Chugoku 72 72 Shikoku Shikoku 12 12 Kyushu Kyushu 173 173
FewerMore
Selected region
Kanto
2,621
65.4% of Japan total
Top Visa Categories
Prefectures
Tokyo
1,848
Kanagawa
368
Saitama
146
Chiba
186
Ibaraki
43
Tochigi
10
Gunma
20

Highest and Lowest Prefectures

2025 Resident Counts
Top 10
Tokyo
Kanto
1,812
Kanagawa
Kanto
380
Osaka
Kansai
289
Chiba
Kanto
191
Hyogo
Kansai
148
Saitama
Kanto
144
Hokkaido
Hokkaido
123
Fukuoka
Kyushu
107
Aichi
Chubu
105
Kyoto
Kansai
104
Bottom 10
Tottori
Chugoku
2
Saga
Kyushu
2
Kagawa
Shikoku
2
Tokushima
Shikoku
2
Fukui
Chubu
3
Shimane
Chugoku
3
Aomori
Tohoku
3
Kochi
Shikoku
4
Yamaguchi
Chugoku
5
Miyazaki
Kyushu
5

Prefecture Growth, 2015 to 2025

Absolute change in Singaporean residents over the past decade
Largest increase
Tokyo
Kanto
+762
Osaka
Kansai
+139
Kanagawa
Kanto
+116
Hokkaido
Hokkaido
+85
Chiba
Kanto
+64
Largest decrease
Oita
Kyushu
-9
Tochigi
Kanto
-5
Hiroshima
Chugoku
-5
Iwate
Tohoku
-2
Saga
Kyushu
-1

Where Singaporeans live · by city

Singaporeans live across 597 cities.  233 cities have just 1 Singaporean ·  287 have 2–10 ·  41 have 11–20 ·  33 have 21–100 ·  2 have 100–200 ·  and just 1 has over 200 (Minato)

Tokyo · 23 wards

Shade = Singaporeans in the ward · hover or tap a ward for its rank, share of foreigners and visa mix

Adachi33Bunkyo48Chiyoda22Taito53Shinagawa86Edogawa27Shinjuku140Shibuya99Kita23Toshima78Chuo80Suginami62Itabashi54Setagaya164Sumida39Nakano61Nerima42Koto80Meguro91Katsushika25Minato224Ota58Arakawa32
FewerMore

Top cities in the Greater Tokyo area beyond the 23 wards (Tokyo suburbs · Kanagawa · Saitama · Chiba)

#21
Naka, Yokohama
Kanagawa
31
=22
Funabashi
Chiba
29
=24
Kohoku, Yokohama
Kanagawa
28
=33
Minami, Yokohama
Kanagawa
22
=35
Hachioji
Tokyo
21
#37
Nishi, Yokohama
Kanagawa
20
=38
Nakahara, Kawasaki
Kanagawa
19
=44
Kawaguchi
Saitama
17
=44
Fuchu
Tokyo
17
=49
Mitaka
Tokyo
16

Top cities outside the Greater Tokyo area

#18
Kita, Osaka
Osaka
35
=22
Sakyo, Kyoto
Kyoto
29
=24
Chuo, Kobe
Hyogo
28
=26
Chuo, Sapporo
Hokkaido
27
=28
Higashinada, Kobe
Hyogo
25
=31
Kutchan
Hokkaido
23
=35
Aoba, Sendai
Miyagi
21
=38
Nishi, Osaka
Osaka
19
=40
Tsukuba
Ibaraki
18
=40
Chuo, Osaka
Osaka
18

Note: Singaporeans are just ≈0.10% of all 4,125,395 foreign residents in Japan.

Support Groups

Community organisations connecting Singaporeans living, studying, or doing business in Japan.

Singapore Association in Japan
SAiJ
A non-profit, non-commercial volunteers' association based in Japan.
facebook.com →
Singapore Students' Association in Japan
在日シンガポール留学生協会 (SSAJ)
The official organisation for Singaporeans studying in Japan, connecting and supporting members across the country.
ssaj.net →
Association of Young Expatriates & Japanese University Graduates
日本で卒業した駐日シンガポール人協会 (ASEJU)
The official association for Singaporean youths who are now living in Japan.
aseju.com →
Singapore Chamber of Commerce
SingCham Japan
A non-profit organisation established in 2024 by Singaporeans doing business or working in Japan.
singchamjapan.org →

Disclaimer: This site is not affiliated with any of the organisations listed above. They are listed here for informational and educational purposes, in case anyone wishes to reach out. All trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.

Singapore Restaurant of the Month

The Sultry Straits

ザ・サルトリー・ストレイツ
THE SULTRY STRAITS ザ・サルトリー・ストレイツ · シンガポール カフェ 紅茶 · モクテル · ケーキ · シンガポール料理

In the Kitano hills of Kobe, The Sultry Straits reimagines Singapore’s flavours as a café — artisan teas, colourful mocktails, and seasonal cakes and tarts alongside authentic Singaporean bites.

View on Google Reviews →

Location: Kitano, Kobe

We’re not affiliated with or sponsored by The Sultry Straits — just big fans of it. :)

A Shared History

Ryukyu junk
Mao Kun map
15th Century

Ryukyu Trade with Temasek

The Ryukyu Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa) traded with Temasek (the port that would become Singapore), exchanging swords, lacquerware, and silver for sappanwood, ivory, and spices.

Surrender of Singapore
1942

War, Occupation, and Peace

The Battle of Singapore lasted seven days; Japanese forces won despite being outnumbered nearly 3-to-1. Singapore became the colony Syonan-to, with the clocks turned back to match Tokyo's; children were taught Japanese in schools; and the Sook Ching massacre claimed thousands of lives. In 1945, Singapore was handed back to the British. Japan agreed to S$50 million in compensation in 1966; PM Hosokawa formally apologised in 1993.

Lee Kuan Yew at the UN 1967
1965

Independence

On 9 August 1965, Singapore became an independent nation. A year later, on 26 April, Singapore and Japan officially established diplomatic relations.

Goh Chok Tong
Junichiro Koizumi
2002

JSEPA: Japan's First Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

Singapore and Japan signed the Japan–Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement. It was Japan's first-ever bilateral free-trade agreement with any nation, and Singapore's first with a major economic power.

Japan-Singapore Summit 2026
2026

60 Years of Bilateral Relations (SJ60)

Singapore and Japan upgraded their bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership, targeting cutting-edge cooperation in AI, green energy, and cybersecurity.

Fun Fact

Did you know? Singapore has the highest concentration of Don Don Donki stores anywhere outside Japan — 17 stores now! (May 2026)
Interested to know more about migration numbers in Japan?
Explore Overview →Immigration statistics for the whole of Japan — 4.13 million foreign residentsAll Nationalities/Regions →This page is one of 67 — explore every major community in Japan

Index

Picture Credits

  1. William Smyth (sketch), F. Finden (engraving), Frederick William Beechey (book author), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
  2. Frederick Grosse, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
  3. Mao Yuanyi (1594–1640?), editor of the Wubei Zhi; and an unknown cartographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
  4. Photographer not identified. “Official photograph”. Post-Work: User:W.wolny, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
  5. Roberto Barroso/ABr, CC BY 3.0 BR, via Wikimedia Commons.
  6. United States Department of Defense photograph by R. D. Ward, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
  7. Cabinet Secretariat, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Statistics

  1. Ministry of Justice — Statistics on foreign residents.
  2. JTB Tourism Research and Consulting Company.

References

  1. Sakamaki, Shunzō. “Ryukyu and Southeast Asia.” The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 23, no. 3, May 1964, pp. 383–389. Association for Asian Studies. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2050757.
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