Most Common Foreign Nationality In Each Japanese Prefecture

Map found via reddit

The map above shows the most common foreign nationality in each Japanese prefecture. However, only 2.29% of the total population is foreign born.

As of June 2022 there were a total 2,760,635 foreigners living in Japan.

The top 10 countries of origin were:

1. China: 744,551
2. Vietnam: 476,346
3. South Korea: 412,340
4. Philippines: 291,066
5. Brazil: 207,081
6. Nepal: 125,798
7. Indonesia: 83,169
8. United States: 57,299
9. Thailand: 54,618
10. Taiwan: 54,213

Returning to the map, it’s not surprising to that Chinese are the most common nationality in the majority of prefectures (and 3 of the 4 main Japanese islands) given they make up 1/3rd of all immigrants to Japan.

The Americans being the largest group in Okinawa is also not that surprising given the continued U.S. military presence in Okinawa and the fact it was only retuned to Japan in 1972.

So what’s happening with South Korea and Brazil?

Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910 and many Koreans moved (or were forced to move) between then and the end of World War 2 in 1945. Those who trace their ancestry back to this time are referred to as Zainichi Koreans.

They actually make up an even larger group of Koreans than the numbers above suggest as many now have Japanese citizenship.

Many of the South Koreans listed above came to Japan during the 1980s boom years and before South Korea’s own economic miracle.

The Brazilians are even more interesting. Most are of Japanese descent, so are ethnically Japanese but often speak Brazilian Portuguese as a first language.

Immigration from Japan to Brazil started in 1908 due to overpopulation in Japan and demand for workers in Brazil.

The flow stopped during WW2 but resumed afterwards until 1973, when the flow reversed due to Japan’s rapidly growing economy.

At that time there were around 200,000 Brazilians with Japanese ancestry living in Brazil. And today there are 1 to 1.5 million Japanese-Brazilians with the majority continuing to live in Brazil.

Find anything surprising about the map? Then let us know below: