The presence of foreign nationals in Japanese society is greater than ever. By the end of 2025, the number of foreign residents had exceeded 4.12 million, accounting for more than 3% of Japan’s total population. The number of foreign workers also exceeded 2.5 million, while the number of foreign visitors surpassed 42 million, transforming everyday life across the country.

These changes are taking place under intense demographic pressure. People aged 65 and over already account for nearly 30% of the population, while the number of births fell to around 671,000 in 2025, marking a record low for the tenth consecutive year. Although successive governments have expanded institutional pathways for foreign nationals to work and settle in Japan over the past decade, partly to address growing labour shortages, they have continued to avoid describing Japan as an “immigrant society”.