Foreign Workers in Japan Hit Record 2.57 Million.

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Jiji Press

15:11 JST, January 30, 2026

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The number of foreign workers in Japan as of the end of October 2025 jumped 11.7% from a year before to 2,571,037, hitting a record high for 13 years in a row amid the country’s labor shortages, the labor ministry said Friday.

Policies on foreign nationals are one of the key issues in the campaign for the Feb. 8 election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament.

By nationality, Vietnamese workers made up the largest group of foreign workers, at 605,906, up 6.2%, followed by Chinese workers, at 431,949, up 5.7%, workers from the Philippines, at 260,869, up 6.2%, Nepalese workers, at 235,874, up 25.7%, and Indonesian workers, at 228,118, up 34.6%.

By industry, the number of foreign workers in the manufacturing sector grew 6.1% to 635,075, accounting for a quarter of the total.

The number of foreign workers climbed in sectors that struggle with serious labor shortages. The number rose 14.2% to 340,687 in the wholesale and retail sector, grew 17.1% to 319,999 in the lodging and restaurant sector, and climbed 25.6% to 146,105 in the medical and welfare sector.