Over 1,400 cities in Japan see foreign population rise, total populations drop in new statistics

Japan’s foreign population is growing in both size and proportion, ministry study shows .

Japan’s population has been shrinking since 2010, but in recent years the country has seen a significant growth in its number of foreign residents .

Showing just how starkly the sizes of Japan’s natural-born and foreign demographics are moving in opposite directions, newly released data from the Japanese government’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications shows that between January 1 of 2025 and 2026, there were 1,436 municipalities in Japan where the total population declined, but the number of foreign residents increased .

The biggest growth in foreign resident population took place in the city of Osaka , where the foreign population grew by 25,056 people during the year.

Osaka was followed by Yokohama (11,056 more foreign residents than the previous year), Nagoya (10,091 more foreign residents), Kyoto (6,483 more foreign residents), and Kawaguchi , in Saitama Prefecture (5,629 more foreign residents). ● Largest increases in foreign residents between January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2026 1.

Osaka: 25,056 2.

Yokohama: 11,056 3.

Nagoya: 10,091 4.

Kyoto: 6,483 5.

Kawaguchi: 5,629 6.

Kobe: 5,033 7.

Tokyo, Edogawa Ward: 4,839 8.

Chiba City: 4,086 9.

Tokyo, Shinjuku Ward: 3,260 10.