Japan's Immigration Services Agency (ISA) has published "Number of Foreign Residents as of the End of June 2026". The number of foreign residents at the end of June 2026 was 4,281,026, an increase of 155,631 (3.8%) on the end of the previous year and a new record.
This page sets out the figures published by the ISA.
Overview
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Issuing authority | Immigration Services Agency of Japan |
| Title | Number of Foreign Residents as of the End of June 2026 |
| Reference date | End of June 2026 |
| Foreign residents | 4,281,026 (up 155,631, or 3.8%, on the end of 2025) |
| Of which mid- to long-term residents | 4,017,321 |
| Of which special permanent residents | 263,705 |
| End of 2025 | 4,125,395 |
| Number of nationalities and regions | 195 (excluding stateless persons) |
The ISA explains that "mid- to long-term residents" are foreign nationals residing under a status of residence under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, other than those granted a period of stay of three months or less, those granted Temporary Visitor, Diplomat or Official status, and certain others. Special permanent residents and persons without a status of residence are not mid- to long-term residents.
By status of residence
The main statuses of residence from the published data (Table 3) are shown below. Changes are against the end of 2025.
| Status of residence | End of 2025 | End of June 2026 | Change | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Resident | 947,125 | 961,342 | +14,217 | +1.5% |
| Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services | 475,790 | 516,184 | +40,394 | +8.5% |
| Student | 464,784 | 479,626 | +14,842 | +3.2% |
| Technical Intern Training | 456,618 | 457,509 | +891 | +0.2% |
| Specified Skilled Worker (i) and (ii) combined | 390,296 | 444,256 | +53,960 | +13.8% |
| Of which Specified Skilled Worker (i) | 382,341 | 425,961 | +43,620 | +11.4% |
| Of which Specified Skilled Worker (ii) | 7,955 | 18,295 | +10,340 | +130.0% |
| Dependent | 352,875 | 370,466 | +17,591 | +5.0% |
| Business Manager | 46,781 | 42,747 | −4,034 | −8.6% |
| Highly Skilled Professional | 32,953 | 34,474 | +1,521 | +4.6% |
| Intra-company Transferee | 19,161 | 19,179 | +18 | +0.1% |
According to the published data, the largest status of residence is Permanent Resident, followed by Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Student, Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker.
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Try for free →By nationality or region (top 10)
According to the ISA, all of the top 10 nationalities and regions except Brazil increased compared with the end of the previous year.
| Rank | Nationality/region | End of June 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 941,031 | +10,603 |
| 2 | Vietnam | 693,750 | +12,650 |
| 3 | South Korea | 408,682 | +1,341 |
| 4 | Philippines | 362,761 | +6,182 |
| 5 | Nepal | 334,850 | +33,858 |
| 6 | Indonesia | 307,456 | +41,387 |
| 7 | Myanmar | 211,602 | +29,035 |
| 8 | Brazil | 209,550 | −464 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 85,415 | +6,287 |
| 10 | Taiwan | 73,628 | +372 |
In addition, there were 71,719 residents from the United States (up 1,932, or 2.8%) and 61,344 from India (up 2,345, or 4.0%).

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By prefecture (top 5)
| Rank | Prefecture | End of June 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | 824,486 | +23,048 (+2.9%) |
| 2 | Osaka | 389,846 | +14,527 |
| 3 | Aichi | 369,849 | +12,049 |
| 4 | Kanagawa | 331,515 | +14,162 |
| 5 | Saitama | 305,867 | +14,930 |
Tokyo accounts for 19.3% of the national total.
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, "Number of Foreign Residents as of the End of June 2026" (Japanese): https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/press/13_00070.html
- Published data (PDF, Japanese): https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001472326.pdf
This page is compiled from material published by government agencies and from statutory text. Please consult a lawyer where a decision is needed on a specific matter.

