Number of foreign residents in the country reaches record high 4.28 million; decrease in new arrivals, impact of self-restraint in China

Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita announced at a press conference on the 16th that the number of foreigners residing in Japan (excluding short-term visitors) reached 4,281,026 as of the end of June, setting a new record high. The number increased by 3.8% compared to the end of the previous year, and the proportion of the total population was 3.5%. The number of new foreign nationals entering the country in the first half of 2026 was 19,706,953, down 0.1% from the same period last year.

132 cities, wards, towns and villages have more than 5% of foreigners, expanding 2.5 times in 5 years to rural areas - National Census

Mr. Yamashita said, ``I would like to continue to implement strict and smooth immigration and residence management so that both Japanese citizens and foreigners can live safely and securely.''

By nationality and region, China has the largest number of foreign residents at 941,031. This was followed by Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines, Nepal, Indonesia, and Myanmar. By status of residence, the most common were ``Permanent Resident,'' ``Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services,'' ``Study Abroad,'' ``Technical Intern Training,'' and ``Specified Skilled Worker.''

According to the Immigration Services Agency, the decrease in new arrivals was due to a 57.3% drop in the number of short-term Chinese visitors due to the Chinese government's request for people to refrain from traveling. Among new entrants, the status of residence ``Management/Management'' for business managers decreased significantly by 80.9%. This appears to be due to the fact that the minimum capital requirement was raised from 5 million yen to 30 million yen in October last year.