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Specified Skilled Worker

Status of residence · Japan

Residents, December 2025
390,296
Share of all foreign residents
9.5%
Change on a year earlier
+37.2%
Nationalities
82
Residents390,296Dec 2025
Year by year
Data as at Dec 2025
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Residents by year

Foreign residents holding the Specified Skilled Worker status of residence at the end of each December. Work in designated industrial fields facing labour shortages, requiring considerable knowledge or experience (type i) or proficient skills (type ii); introduced in April 2019.

Foreign residents

195k390k201220132014201520162017201820192022202320242025
195k390k2012201420162018202220242025
Data table
20120
20130
20140
20150
20160
20170
20180
20191,621
2022130,923
2023208,462
2024284,466
2025390,296
December 2025
390,296
December 2019
1,621
Work-related status
Yes
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Statistics on Foreign Residents (在留外国人統計), Table 1, end of December (e-Stat; Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use 2.0)Data as at Dec 2025

By nationality

Top 20 nationalities, end of December 2025. Hong Kong is shown separately but, as in the source table, is also counted within China.

Residents, December 2025
  1. Vietnam164,352
  2. Indonesia86,955
  3. Myanmar44,523
  4. Philippines35,862
  5. China22,105
  6. Nepal12,387
  7. Cambodia8,500
  8. Thailand6,817
  9. Sri Lanka4,003
  10. Mongolia1,251
  11. Bangladesh839
  12. India758
  13. South Korea527
  14. Laos453
  15. Taiwan348
  16. Uzbekistan102
  17. Hong Kong84
  18. Russia60
  19. Malaysia57
  20. Bhutan41
Nationality2022202320242025
Vietnam77,137110,648133,478164,352
Indonesia16,32734,25553,53886,955
Myanmar5,95611,87327,34844,523
Philippines13,21421,36728,23435,862
China8,88813,46817,76122,105
Nepal2,3404,4307,01412,387
Cambodia2,6664,6646,0088,500
Thailand2,5804,3595,5716,817
Sri Lanka3749952,1914,003
Mongolia5399021,1181,251
Bangladesh140285441839
India120230404758
South Korea157246342527
Laos127173252453
Taiwan171222278348
Uzbekistan165772102
Hong Kong0534484
Russia11194060
Malaysia18344657
Bhutan33434541
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Statistics on Foreign Residents (在留外国人統計), Table 1, end of December (e-Stat; Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use 2.0)Data as at Dec 2025

Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more