Vietnamese community overtakes Koreans as Japan's second-largest foreign group
Japan's 2025 census shows Vietnamese residents rising to 609,238, surpassing Koreans as the second-largest foreign nationality.
According to the Statistics Bureau, the 2025 census recorded 609,238 Vietnamese living in Japan, representing 15.9% of the 3,840,039 foreign residents counted on October 1, 2025. Chinese nationals remain the largest foreign group with 923,013 people. The Korean community declined by 36,122 to 398,495, reducing its share to 10.4% and losing its second-place ranking to the Vietnamese, who added 226,100 residents since 2020—a 59% surge and the highest growth among all groups.
The census, conducted every five years, includes mid- to long-term residents but excludes diplomats and military families. Overall foreign residency rose by 1,093,525, a 39.8% increase from 2020, while Japan's total population fell by 2.5%. Tokyo hosts the highest concentration of foreign residents, accounting for over one-fifth of the national total.
Why it matters
The shift highlights changing migration patterns and the growing economic and cultural influence of the Vietnamese community in Japan.
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