Japan Immigration News

Record 3.4 million foreign residents in Japan as work visas rise

Release Date: 2024-03-23
Media: KYODO NEWS
Summary: In 2023, the number of foreign nationals residing in Japan reached a record high of 3.41 million, marking a 10.9% increase from the previous year. This growth was primarily driven by employment-related visas as Japan sought to address its labor shortage.

Key data points include:
Specified skilled workers increased by 59.2%, reaching around 208,000.
Technical internship trainees grew by 24.5%, approaching pre-pandemic levels at 404,000.
Permanent residents rose 3.2% to 891,000, while engineers, specialists in humanities, and international services increased by 16.2% to 362,000.

By nationality, the largest groups of foreign residents were:
Chinese: 821,000
Vietnamese: 565,000
South Koreans: 410,000

The number of foreign arrivals surged more than six-fold to 25.83 million after COVID-19 border restrictions were eased, recovering to over 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, 9.62 million Japanese nationals left the country, a significant increase from the previous year but still below pre-pandemic levels.
Tags: Specified Skilled Worker,Population

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