According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there were 1,980,200 foreigners staying in Japan as of March this year. The information released on Thursday was based on the census of Basic Resident Registration Network System. It was also traced that most foreign residents live in the metropolis in Tokyo, Osaka, and Aichi Prefecture. Others opt for Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures.
Leading the other prefectures with foreign residents, Tokyo has a total of 385,195 foreigners alone. It accounted for 2.93 percent of the prefecture’s total population. Coming next was Osaka, having 199,800 foreign residents, or 2.25 of the metropolis’ total population. The third most resided prefecture was Aichi, with 189,787 foreign residents or 2.54 percent of the area’s population. Kanagawa also holds a number of foreign residents, reaching 159,511. The fifth most resided prefecture was Saitama, with 116,081 residing foreigners. The total population of foreign residents in these prefectures contribute to 53.04 percent of all those registered across the country.
Besides urban living, Tokyo and Osaka are also known for their education systems, making it conducive for foreigners who are studying or have children. The census taken in March was the first since Japan implemented a foreign registration system back in July 2012. The system requires foreigners living in Japan for more than three months to be listed in the country’s resident registry.
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