At 1.2M, Japan’s foreign residents now 9.5% of people in 20s

Foreign residents made up 9.5 percent of people in their 20s in Japan in 2025, more than double the 4.1 percent in 2015, a Kyodo News analysis of government data showed on Saturday.

The demographic trend highlights their potential role in sustaining the country’s social welfare system amid a shrinking population of young Japanese.

The percentage may rise further as the government has presented a draft plan to a panel of experts to accept up to about 426,000 foreign workers over two years from fiscal 2027, with the aim of filling the labor shortage.

According to the Basic Resident Register data, foreign residents in their 20s increased by 680,000 to 1.22 million over a 10-year period through 2025, while Japanese in their 20s decreased by 1.03 million to 11.64 million.

By prefecture, Gunma had the highest proportion of foreigners in their 20s with 14.1 percent, followed by Gifu and Ibaraki. Nine others, including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, exceeded 10 percent.

Foreigners are becoming increasingly important not only in the labor market but also as contributors to Japan’s social security system.

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Across all age groups, foreign residents accounted for 3 percent of the Japanese population in 2025.

As of the end of June 2025, the largest foreign resident population was from China, at about 900,000, followed by Vietnam, with about 660,000, according to the data.