Kids Web Japan

Q. How many foreigners live in Japan? How many Japanese live abroad?

A.

The foreign population in Japan has been growing steadily over the past several years. At the end of 2005 there were 2.01 million registered foreign residents, with 29.8% being citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, 25.8% of China, and 15.0% of Brazil.

The number of Japanese living in other countries was 1,012,547 as of October 2005. The largest percentage lived in the United States (40.7%), followed by Brazil (10.0%) and Britain (6.9%).

Number of Foreign Residents in Japan by Nationality, December 2005

	Number	Share (%)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Republic of Korea	598,687	29.8
China	519,561	25.8
Brazil	302,080	15.0
Philippines	187,261	9.3
Peru	57,728	2.9
United States	49,390	2.5
Other	296,848	14.8
Total	2,011,555	100.0

Source: Ministry of Justice.

Number of Japanese Living Abroad, October 2005

	Number	Share (%)
United States	351,668	34.7
China	114,899	11.3
Brazil	65,942	6.5
Britain	54,982	5..4
Australia	52,970	5.2
Canada	45,914	4.5
Thailand	36,327	3.6
Other	289,845	28.6
Total	1,012,547	100.0

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.