[Breaking News] Immigration Services Agency of Japan Releases Statistics Including the Number of Foreign Residents as of the End of June 2026 (October 16, 2026)

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On October 16, 2026, the Immigration Services Agency (ISA, 出入国在留管理庁) released three sets of statistics. The number of foreign residents as of the end of June 2026 (令和8年) was 4,281,026, an increase of 155,631 (3.8%) from the end of the previous year, which the agency describes as a record high. The agency also released the number of foreign nationals entering Japan in the first half of 2026 and the number of illegal overstayers as of July 1, 2026.

What the Announcement Says

Number of Foreign Residents as of the End of June 2026

• The number of foreign residents was 4,281,026, an increase of 155,631 (3.8%) from the end of the previous year (4,125,395). Of these, 4,017,321 were mid- to long-term residents (中長期在留者) and 263,705 were special permanent residents (特別永住者).
• There were 195 nationalities and regions (excluding stateless persons). In descending order, the largest were China (941,031), Vietnam (693,750), South Korea (408,682), the Philippines (362,761), and Nepal (334,850). Among the top 10 countries and regions, all except Brazil increased compared with the end of the previous year.
• By status of residence, “Permanent Resident” (永住者) was the largest (961,342), followed by “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” (技術・人文知識・国際業務) (516,184), “Student” (留学) (479,626), “Technical Intern Training” (技能実習) (457,509), and “Specified Skilled Worker” (特定技能) (444,256).
• By prefecture, Tokyo (824,486) was the largest, accounting for 19.3% of the national total, followed by Osaka, Aichi, Kanagawa, and Saitama.

By nationality/region (top 10)

By status of residence (top 5)

By prefecture (top 5)

Number of Foreign Nationals Entering Japan and Japanese Nationals Departing Japan in the First Half of 2026

• The number of foreign nationals entering Japan (the total of new entrants and re-entrants) was 21,447,220, an increase of 71,050 (0.3%) from the same period of the previous year.
• Of these, the number of new entrants was 19,706,953, a decrease of 21,452 (0.1%) from the same period of the previous year. By nationality and region, the largest were South Korea (5,553,483), Taiwan (3,769,254), and the United States (1,789,080), in that order.
• The number of foreign nationals granted special landing permission (特例上陸許可, such as landing permission for cruise ship tourists) was 1,370,546, a decrease of 649,984 (32.2%) from the same period of the previous year. The combined total of foreign nationals entering Japan and those granted special landing permission was 22,817,766, a decrease of 578,934 (2.5%) from the same period of the previous year.
• The number of Japanese nationals departing Japan was 6,944,615, an increase of 335,619 (5.1%) from the same period of the previous year.

Main figures for the first half of 2026

Number of Illegal Overstayers as of July 1, 2026

• The number of illegal overstayers was 65,229, a decrease of 3,259 (4.8%) from January 1, 2026 (68,488).
• By nationality and region, Thailand (10,260) replaced Vietnam (10,135) in first place, followed by South Korea (9,759).
• By status of residence, “Temporary Visitor” (短期滞在) was the largest (39,180), followed by “Technical Intern Training” (技能実習) (7,928) and “Designated Activities” (特定活動) (7,661).
• The number of people newly found to be overstaying on or after January 1, 2026 and still overstaying as of July 1 (new illegal overstayers) was 6,020.

By nationality/region (top 10)

By status of residence (top 5)

Official Announcements

Detailed figures by nationality and region, by status of residence, and by prefecture are available in the published materials (PDF and Excel) on each announcement page.

• Immigration Services Agency, “令和８年６月末における在留外国人数について (Number of foreign residents as of the end of June 2026)“
• Immigration Services Agency, “令和８年上半期における外国人入国者数及び日本人出国者数等について (Number of foreign nationals entering Japan and Japanese nationals departing Japan in the first half of 2026)“
• Immigration Services Agency, “本邦における不法残留者数について（令和８年７月１日現在） (Number of illegal overstayers in Japan as of July 1, 2026)“

Primary Sources Referenced for This Article

• Immigration Services Agency, “令和８年６月末における在留外国人数について (Number of foreign residents as of the end of June 2026)” (checked on October 16, 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency, “令和８年上半期における外国人入国者数及び日本人出国者数等について (Number of foreign nationals entering Japan and Japanese nationals departing Japan in the first half of 2026)” (checked on October 16, 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency, “本邦における不法残留者数について（令和８年７月１日現在） (Number of illegal overstayers in Japan as of July 1, 2026)” (checked on October 16, 2026)