Japan Govt to Consider Cap on Foreigners Moving to Country, with Project Team Established in Immigration Services Agency

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:58 JST, August 30, 2025

The government will begin considering whether to set a cap on the number of foreign nationals accepted into Japan, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said on Friday. A project team was established within the Immigration Services Agency that day to start full-fledged discussions on the matter.

The government has so far refrained from imposing a cap on the number of foreign workers, except for individuals in Japan under the specified skilled worker or development employment systems, to address labor shortfalls.

Foreign residents currently make up 2.8% of the population, but the proportion is estimated to eventually surpass 10%, driven both by a declining Japanese population and an increase in the number of foreign residents.

According to a list of issues presented by Suzuki on Friday, Japan has traditionally lacked a consistent policy on accepting foreign nationals. “The time has come to begin detailed discussions on how to address the impact and challenges that foreigners will have on society in the medium to long term,” Suzuki said.

Suzuki said that “implementing temporary restrictions on admission if there are signs that an extreme rise in the number of foreign nationals is leading to social friction that exceeds the acceptable threshold” would be one way of setting an upper limit.

In Suzuki’s list of issues, the need for “long-term and multifaceted consideration from multiple perspectives,” including economic growth, taxes and social security, as well as public safety, was highlighted. At a press conference on the day, Suzuki said: “Many other countries are also struggling with social integration. We should think about countermeasures early.”