TOKYO, Japan — Data from the recent 2025 census released by the internal affairs ministry reveals that the number of Japanese municipalities where foreign residents exceed 5 percent of the local population has surged 2.5 times, jumping from 53 in 2020 to 132.
The figures show that foreign population growth is expanding beyond major urban hubs and manufacturing centers into rural regions, driven heavily by tourism, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Overall, Japan’s foreign resident population has hit a record 3.84 million—representing 3.1 percent of the national total—which marks a roughly 40 percent increase from the 2.74 million recorded in the 2020 census.
Furthermore, prefectures hosting at least one municipality with a foreign population above 5 percent expanded from 17 to 27, with Miyagi and Hyogo newly joining the list. Hokkaido experienced a sharp spike, with qualifying municipalities increasing from five to 22.
Experts note that this rural expansion is largely fueled by the hiring of foreign labor to counter severe domestic labor shortages.
The highest concentration of foreign residents nationwide was recorded in Nagano Prefecture’s town of Kawakami at 26.5 percent, up from 19 percent in 2020, where many foreign nationals work in cultivating the town’s signature lettuce crop.
Meanwhile, the village of Shimukappu in Hokkaido saw its foreign share nearly double to 21.7 percent.
”The opening of a resort facility in 2017 led to increased hiring of foreigners to serve overseas visitors,” a village official said, explaining the demographic shift.
Across Japan, 21 municipalities now report foreign populations exceeding 10 percent, with four crossing the 20 percent threshold—a historic first for the census.
Additionally, 65 of the country’s 1,741 municipalities saw foreign population growth outpace the decline of their Japanese residents, leading to net overall population growth in areas like Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, Chiba Prefecture’s Urayasu, and Hiroshima Prefecture’s Higashihiroshima.
While Chinese nationals remain the largest foreign group, their share dropped from 28.5 percent to 24 percent, while populations from Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and Indonesia saw notable increases.