Arab News Japan

TOKYO: While Japan is often seen as a homogenous country with few foreigners, recent government statistics say that, as of June 2024, there are 3,588,956 foreigners living in Japan, a 5.2 percent increase from the end of 2023, indicating a dynamic shift in the country’s demographics.

The largest group of foreigners is from China (844,187), followed by Vietnam (600,348), South Korea (411,043), the Philippines (332,293) and Brazil (212,325).

Arabs from the Asian Continent registered in Japan have the largest number coming from Syria (1,497 – 1,006). The next largest amount comes from Saudi Arabia (323), followed by Jordan (260), Yemen (226) and Iraq (206), Lebanon (172), Palestine (100),  UAE (74), Kuwait (35), Oman (33), Bahrain (29), and Qatar (18).

According to immigration agency data, 30 Syrians applied for refugee status in 2022, making it the 12th highest nationality among all applicants.