Japan's foreign resident count hits a record 4.28 million; Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar grow fastest
ISA figures for end-June 2026: 4,281,026 foreign residents, a record. Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar grew fastest; specified skilled workers up 54,000.
Short answer
At the end of June 2026, 4,281,026 foreign nationals lived in Japan, a record and 155,631 (3.8%) more than at the end of 2025, according to the Immigration Services Agency. China, Vietnam and South Korea lead. Indonesia (+41,387), Nepal (+33,858) and Myanmar (+29,035) grew most. Permanent residents are the largest status group at 961,342.
Reported by Kazinform (Kyodo News), Oct 16, 2026
“Foreign residents in Japan reach record 4.28 mln”
The numbers
The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) counted 4,281,026 foreign residents at the end of June 2026: 4,017,321 mid- to long-term residents (中長期在留者) and 263,705 special permanent residents (特別永住者). Overstayers were 65,229 on July 1, 2026, down 4.8% from six months earlier, according to the same coverage.
| Nationality | Residents | Change since end-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 941,031 | +10,603 |
| Vietnam | 693,750 | +12,650 |
| South Korea | 408,682 | +1,341 |
| Philippines | 362,761 | +6,182 |
| Nepal | 334,850 | +33,858 |
| Indonesia | 307,456 | +41,387 |
| Myanmar | 211,602 | +29,035 |
| Brazil | 209,550 | −464 |
| Sri Lanka | 85,415 | +6,287 |
| Taiwan | 73,628 | +372 |
By residence status
The five largest statuses are permanent resident (永住者, 961,342), engineer/humanities/international services (技術・人文知識・国際業務, 516,184), student (留学, 479,626), technical intern (技能実習, 457,509) and specified skilled worker (特定技能, 444,256). Specified skilled workers rose most (+53,960), then engineer/humanities (+40,394). Tokyo has 824,486 residents, 19.3% of the national total.
Why it matters to you
If you are from Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines or Sri Lanka, your community is one of the fastest-growing in the ISA list, which tends to mean more community services and more demand at ward offices and immigration counters. Permanent residents are the largest status group, and the stricter PR rules apply in full from April 2027. Reports on the share of the population differ (3.4% to 3.5%), so we do not quote one figure.
Facts checked against the sources below on Nov 2, 2026. Rules can change: confirm with the Immigration Services Agency or your city office before acting.
Sources
- 令和8年6月末における在留外国人数について, Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Nov 2, 2026)
- Foreign residents in Japan reach record 4.28 mln, Kazinform (Kyodo News) (accessed Nov 2, 2026)