{
  "id": 15117361,
  "title": "Japan says hosting record number of foreigners",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/japan-says-hosting-record-number-of-foreigners-15117361",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T03:34:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/17/japan-says-hosting-record-number-of-foreigners"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Japan has recorded a record number of foreigners residing in the country this year, despite rising anti-immigration sentiment, a problem exacerbated by the nation's aging and shrinking population. As of the end of June, there were 4.28 million foreigners living in Japan, excluding short-term visitors, according to the Immigration Services Agency. This represents an increase of 156,000 people from the previous year, accounting for approximately 3.5% of Japan's total population.\n\nImmigration expert Toshihiro Menju highlighted the labor shortage Japan faces, noting that the country relies on foreign workers to fill roles ranging from highly skilled professionals to service jobs. With Japan's population decreasing by over 900,000 annually, Menju stated that the country has no choice but to continue utilizing foreign workers.\n\nGovernment solutions, such as AI, robotics, and increased participation by women and older individuals, are insufficient to address the shortage, Menju added. Businesses have called for a comprehensive policy to support foreign residents. However, the government has tightened rules for permanent residency, requiring higher annual incomes and improved Japanese fluency.\n\nThe far-right Sanseito party, which promotes a \"Japanese-first\" policy, gained significant support in the previous upper house election. Social media has spread false claims that foreigners receive substantial welfare payments and create unsafe conditions in Japanese streets. The new regulations may already be affecting the number of foreign residents, with an approximate 300,000 increase over the past year compared to the year before.\n\nMenju predicts that the foreigner population in Japan could reach 10 million by the 2040s due to the labor shortage. On Friday, the justice ministry announced that the number of illegal overstayers fell to around 65,000 as of July 1, a 4.8% decrease from the start of the year.",
  "summary": "Data showed that 4.28 million foreigners, excluding short-term visitors, were staying in the country at the end of June.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Japan says hosting record number of foreigners",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/japan-says-hosting-record-number-of-foreigners-15115489",
        "published": "2026-10-17T03:34:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Japan says hosting record number of foreigners",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/japan-says-hosting-record-number-of-foreigners",
        "published": "2026-10-17T03:42:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}