Japan to study ‘quantitative management’ of foreign residents

At a meeting of related ministers on the day, the government decided to set up a working group of relevant experts to consider a basic policy on accepting foreign citizens, which the government plans to adopt next March.

At a press conference the same day, Kimi Onoda, minister in charge of policies about foreigners, said that the quantitative management of foreign residents "will naturally be included" in the basic policy.

The concept of quantitative management is mentioned in the coalition agreement between the the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party due to concerns that a rise in the proportion of foreign residents could cause social friction.

According to the Immigration Services Agency, the number of foreign residents hit a record high of 4,125,395 at the end of 2025.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates that their proportion will reach about 10 pct in 2070.

Another estimate suggests that the proportion could exceed 10 pct in 2040.