According to statistics from the Immigration Services Agency, the number of foreign nationals who entered Japan in 2025 totaled an all-time high of about 42.43 million.

The figure that includes permanent residents and other long-term stayers increased by about 5.65 million from the year before, surpassing 40 million for the first time.

Among those arriving in Japan for the first time, 98.1 percent were short-term visitors, indicating an increase in tourists driven by factors such as the weak yen and the rising number of international flights.

The number of foreigners entering with a student visa totaled about 180,000, also a record high.

Last year, the number of new entrants from China came to about 7.22 million, up 1.74 million from 2024.

But looking at the monthly data, arrivals in December after the Chinese government urged its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan following Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s remarks concerning a potential Taiwan contingency nearly halved from the previous year to roughly 280,000.

Meanwhile, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said the number of foreign workers in Japan as of the end of October 2025 reached a record-high 2,571,037.

By industry, about a quarter of all foreign nationals worked in manufacturing, while surges were seen in the medical and welfare sectors that face chronic labor shortages.

The ministry said it will continue to work on improving the work environment so that foreign nationals can fully demonstrate their abilities and contribute to society within the scope of appropriate employment qualifications.