Foreign residents in Japan reach record high of over 3.7 mln

TOKYO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign nationals residing in Japan reached more than 3.7 million as of the end of 2024, marking a record high for the third consecutive year, government data showed Friday.

As of December, 3,768,977 foreigners resided in Japan, up 10.5 percent from a year before, according to the Immigration Services Agency.

By category, the number of students stood at approximately 402,000, while the number of technical interns and specified skilled workers came to around 457,000 and 284,000, respectively.

Meanwhile, permanent residents, who made up the largest group by residential status, stood at around 918,000 people, up 3 percent, the data showed.

The agency said more people came to Japan after its border control measures during the pandemic were relaxed and the Japanese yen weakened. ■