Migration in Japan - statistics & facts
Japan is a super-aged society. Nearly 30 percent of the population is 65 years of age or older, and fertility has been declining for decades, leading to a rapidly shrinking population. To combat this trend, Japan has increased the flow of migrants. Consequently, the total number of foreign nationals with Japanese residency reached a record high of 3.4 million, or 2.7 percent of the total population, in 2023. The Japanese government anticipates a further surge in foreign workers entering Japanese society to offset the dwindling national labor force in the coming years. Despite that, studies estimate that Japan will experience a shortage of nearly one million foreign workers by 2040 to sustain the economy.
The age distribution of foreign residents is clearly biased toward the younger generation, and the highest number of foreign residents are between the ages of 20 and 34. Many mid-to-long-term residents stay in Japan with the visa status of “technical intern training” and “specialist,” which suggests that those seeking employment are the main proportion. The Technical Intern Training Program was introduced in 2017 to transfer Japan’s skills and technology to people from other regions, with a maximum residency of five years. While a popular scheme, especially for small-to-medium companies, the program has not been without drawbacks, and many employers’ labor standards violations and poor working conditions have been reported. This resulted in the government's decision in 2024 to eliminate the present system and substitute it with a new program by 2027 to improve the long-term career development of foreign workers in Japan.
As stronger measures against a diminishing labor force are required, the Japanese government has broadened the visa conditions for foreign workers by amending the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. Due to a weak yen and comparatively stagnant salaries, Japan will struggle to be competitive against other Asian markets to attract skilled foreign workers. To acquire enough global talent, the government would also need to navigate the nation's immigration anxieties and integrate foreign nationals better into Japanese society.
Foreign residents and workers
Many non-Japanese nationals have lived in the country under a “special permanent” residence status for decades. This status was granted to people who renounced their Japanese nationality but remained settled in Japan following the end of Japan's colonization and World War II. Most of the people with this status are of Korean and Taiwanese origin. More recently, people hailing from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brazil have accounted for the largest proportion of foreign residents, with particular growth in the Vietnamese population.The age distribution of foreign residents is clearly biased toward the younger generation, and the highest number of foreign residents are between the ages of 20 and 34. Many mid-to-long-term residents stay in Japan with the visa status of “technical intern training” and “specialist,” which suggests that those seeking employment are the main proportion. The Technical Intern Training Program was introduced in 2017 to transfer Japan’s skills and technology to people from other regions, with a maximum residency of five years. While a popular scheme, especially for small-to-medium companies, the program has not been without drawbacks, and many employers’ labor standards violations and poor working conditions have been reported. This resulted in the government's decision in 2024 to eliminate the present system and substitute it with a new program by 2027 to improve the long-term career development of foreign workers in Japan.
Immigration policy and debate
A 2023 survey revealed that nearly 42 percent of Japanese nationals never had any social contacts with people of other nationalities. Japan has been ethnically relatively homogeneous throughout its history and has been rather hesitant to increase immigration. This attitude is also evident in the substantially lower number of admitted refugees compared to other nations. The latest and rare exception is the growing Kurdish population holding Turkish passports and provisionally residing in Japan as asylum seekers in the Kawaguchi city of Saitama Prefecture. This has led to a heated debate about the nation’s refugee and immigration policies.As stronger measures against a diminishing labor force are required, the Japanese government has broadened the visa conditions for foreign workers by amending the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. Due to a weak yen and comparatively stagnant salaries, Japan will struggle to be competitive against other Asian markets to attract skilled foreign workers. To acquire enough global talent, the government would also need to navigate the nation's immigration anxieties and integrate foreign nationals better into Japanese society.
