Fewer Chinese tourists and far fewer new Business Manager visas pushed overall first-half arrivals down, ending a rise that had continued since the pandemic.
Foreign nationals walk through Tokyo's Ginza district on October 21.
The number of foreign residents in Japan has reached a record 4,281,026, while the number of people overstaying their visas has fallen by 4.8% in six months, according to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.
On October 16, the agency released its immigration statistics for the first half of 2026. Japan's foreign resident population rose 3.8% from the end of 2025 to the end of June, reaching a record high.
Meanwhile, the number of overstayers fell 4.8% from the start of the year to 65,229 as of July 1. The agency attributed the decline to its Zero Illegal Foreign Residents Plan, which aims to swiftly remove foreign nationals who violate immigration rules.
Chinese Top Foreign Resident Population
Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of Japan's foreign resident population, totaling 941,031, up 1.1% from the end of 2025. Vietnamese and South Korean nationals were the next-largest groups.
By residence status, permanent residents formed the largest category, rising 1.5% to 961,342. They were followed by holders of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status, which covers professions such as interpreting and translation. This group grew 8.5% to 516,184.
Thailand Overtakes Vietnam in Overstayers
Among overstayers, Thai nationals were the largest group at 10,260. That put Thailand ahead of Vietnam at 10,135, which had ranked first as of January 1. The agency believes Vietnam’s figure fell partly because overstayers on the Technical Intern Training visa returned home.
First Fall in Arrivals Since 2022
Foreign arrivals totaled 22,817,766 in the first half of 2026, down 2.5% from the same period a year earlier. This marked the first decline since arrivals began recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022.
New short-term arrivals from China plunged nearly 60% year-on-year. The agency attributed the sharp drop to the Chinese government's repeated calls since November 2025 for its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
Business Manager Visas Plunge
New arrivals under the Business Manager residence status, which allows foreign nationals to establish and operate businesses in Japan, plunged roughly 80% year-on-year to 635.
The status came under scrutiny over cases of foreign nationals setting up shell companies to obtain residency. In October 2025, the government tightened eligibility requirements, raising the minimum capital requirement sixfold from ¥5 million (about $33,000) to ¥30 million (about $200,000).
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun